Living A Life
by moonbean
Summary: What if the Doctor and Rose hadn't got the Tardis back after The Satan Pit? Ignores the fact the Doctor was stuck down a hole! What would their life be like? And can a face from the past eventually rescue them?
1. Stuck

**A/N: Gosh, I can't believe I've got three stories on the go at once. It's madness, but once those plot bunnies grab hold of you...**

**Disclaimer: Seriously, if it was mine do you really think I'd be doing this?**

**Rated for later chapters.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It was a miserable day. A truly miserable day. The rain poured down heavily from the dark grey sky and beat persistently at the window of a small café in East London, which is where the Doctor and Rose were currently sitting, nibbling absent-mindedly on fat, fluffy chips and stopping every now and then to take a sip of hot, sweet tea and flick the page of a local paper they were scouring.

Rose sighed and let her mind wander for a moment as she watched the rain trying to break its way through the glass before becoming fascinated by the way her breath misted up the window, shrank back for a second, and then grew again as she let out another breath. She had to stop herself from pressing her finger against it to draw a smiley face as she became vaguely aware of the Doctor watching her out of the corner of his eye. He suddenly cleared his throat, and she turned back to him, idly grabbing the salt cellar and sprinkling some more of the tiny white grains over her chips.

"You know, too much salt is bad for you…" the Doctor started, then shut-up when he saw the look on her face. He sighed and slipped off his glasses before running a hand over his face, rubbing his eyes as he went. He then popped them back on and stared at her intently. He did this for a few seconds, before deciding enough was enough. He had made up his mind.

"Right, that's it."

Rose exhaled rather loudly and met his gaze. "What?" she asked lazily.

"I'm not dragging you through this anymore." He scooted his body as far over the table as he could, leaning into her ear to whisper something no one else could possibly hear.

"I know it's not right, but to be honest it's not going to hurt anyone, and given the circumstances, we have no choice." He took a deep breath before carrying-on, noting the confused look on his best friend's face.

"I'm going to hack into the banks account systems with the aid of my trusty sonic screwdriver, approve us for everything and 'transfer' enough money into our new account to be able to put a substantial deposit on a house and to keep us tided over for the time being. Then, we are going to visit a mortgage broker, find a place we like, move in, find a _job -_" he screwed his eyes up as he said the word, before continuing; "- and live our lives the best we can. I refuse to stay in that hotel any longer. I know Zack and Danny and Ida have done their best for us," his shoulders slumped, "but I just can't take it anymore," he sighed. The team had done their best for them, even gave them money out of their own pockets to get by on after they had discovered the enormity of the situation they were in. They had begged their bosses at Torchwood to find them somewhere to stay (conveniently leaving out the fact that they were time-travellers and that the Doctor was, in fact, an alien), but the fat-cats at the top were too tight-fisted to give them anywhere too nice, insisting it really wasn't their problem that two strangers had gotten themselves stuck out on the Sanctuary Base.

The Doctor searched Rose's face for a response, and visibly relaxed when she finally smiled at him, the first real smile she'd given him since landing on future Earth a week ago.

"Thank-you."

The Doctor grinned at her as he sat back and tucked his glasses and the paper into his jacket pocket. "Come on, it's getting late." He stood up and pulled his coat on. "We'll start first thing in the morning," he said, offering a hand down to Rose and pulling her up.

"Wished we'd thought to bring a brolly," she said, waving an idle hand towards the window.

"Nah, we'll be fine. Hotel's only round the corner."

* * *

"Fine my arse," Rose muttered to herself as she stood in the small bathroom, drying her hair with a towel. She then pulled on the pyjamas and big, fluffy dressing gown that Ida had leant her (both of which drowned her slightly), and made her way back into the bedroom. She was thankful that the only room that had been available when they checked in was en-suite. She hated the idea of having to keep going up and down the stairs to use the shared bathroom.

"Okay?" the Doctor asked looking up from the book he was reading as he sat huddled in a chair by the window.

"Yeah, no thanks to you," she replied, and she stuck her tongue out to show him she was teasing. She noted that he was already changed, and she carefully laid out her wet clothes on the radiator next to his. She smiled to herself as she looked at them. The Doctor was having to wear normal, everyday clothes now he didn't have any spare suits on him. Oddly, she found herself looking forward to the days when that one suit had been cleaned and he could wear it for a day or two. It brought a bit of normality to things. Rose yawned and stretched her arms above her head. It had been a strange week. Jobs had been applied for, rented accommodation looked at; but to no avail. Their urgency was great, but they had been picky. Perhaps overly so, but the Doctor said it was his duty to give her the best he could, and he wouldn't stop looking until he'd found it. She smiled again. This time the Doctor caught it.

"What?" he inquired.

"Nothing. Just thinking."

"Dangerous habit that, especially for you Rose Tyler." He smirked at her playfully and she lightly smacked him round the head.

"Ouch!" he pouted.

"Stop being cheeky and you'll stop getting smacked." She grinned at him and he couldn't help but smile back.

"There's my Rose," he said fondly. He yawned suddenly and looked at the clock on the wall. "Time for bed," he stated more than asked. Rose nodded in agreement and went to pull the covers back on the bed, flopping down on it with a small moan as the Doctor chucked his book to one side and made his way to the bathroom to get washed up. Rose sat up and looked around the room as she waited for him to finish and come and turn the light off. It was very clinical looking and quite sparse. There was a lamp on each of the bedside tables, the squashy chair by the window and a dressing table/desk. A wardrobe stood against the far wall, and on the opposite wall hung a small, flat screen television. Rose had been disappointed with it at first, the Doctor's only concern being whether or not it had the obligatory tea and coffee making facilities, which, to his delight, it did. But she soon got used to it. She had no choice.

"Ready then?"

She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. "Yep." And then something occurred to her as she watched him arrange his blanket and pillow on the chair.

"Doctor?"

"Hmmm," he sounded, slightly distracted by the act of batting his pillow into place.

"It's not fair."

He looked round at her then, a look of sympathy crossing his features. "I know. But it will get better. I promise."

Rose let out a small laugh and he looked confused.

"No! What I meant was it's not fair that you have to sleep scrunched up in that chair. In fact, it's ridiculous. This bed is big enough for two, and, seeing as we're both adults, sharing shouldn't be a problem. I mean, the amount of times I've had to share a bed with my mates because there wasn't enough room…" she trailed off, realising she was rambling as she caught the gentle look on the Doctor's face.

"I appreciate your concern. It's just…"

"What?" she asked softly, noticing that he was suddenly looking a bit bashful, a pale pink tinge gracing his cheeks.

"I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. We're in an awkward enough situation as it is." He smiled somewhat shyly at her and she walked over and threw her arms around his neck.

"I know this is awful. Even more so for you because this isn't what you do. At least for me it's only been a couple of years since I was on the slow path, but for you it's…" she sighed. "The last thing we need is any awkwardness."

The Doctor rubbed her back and sighed into the crook of her neck. She pulled away and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Now," she said, as if talking to a child. "No more silliness. Get in the bed."

"Yes ma'am." He mock saluted her and did as he was told.

Rose turned off the light and hopped in next to him, snuggling down as far under the duvet as she could. The Doctor propped himself up on his elbow and she turned to face him, only just able to make out the outline of his face in the dark.

"You know, you're really quite amazing," he said quietly.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, you've just been separated from your mother, your family, forever, and you're busy worrying about me." He heard her breath hitch in her throat and he mentally smacked himself for being stupid enough to mention her mother.

"Oh, Rose. I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay," she sniffed, trying to unsuccessfully hold back a sob. "S'not your fault."

"But it is," he said, putting a hand to her cheek to calm her.

"No," she said forcefully, making him flinch. "I won't have you saying that. Not ever."

He opened his arms. "Come here."

Rose rolled into him and he held her tightly, patiently waiting for her to cry it all out; something he'd been waiting for her to do all week.

But even after her tears had dried, they made no attempt to disconnect from each other.


	2. Parliament Hill

**A/N: Big thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. Keep them coming! Reviews feed me and keep me happy!**

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When Rose awoke the next morning bleary-eyed and stuffy-headed, she wasn't expecting to find herself alone. She grunted as she rolled over and came face to face with a note on the abandoned pillow next to her head. Sitting up stiffly, she blinked and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before stretching her arms above her head. With a big yawn, she brought them back down and snatched up the note. She simply stared at it for a second, giving her eyes time to focus, and slowly the words began to form.

_Rose,_

_I thought you could do with a little extra sleep so I've gone on ahead to see Danny to get his help with our bank mission. Apparently, as well as dealing with ethics, he's very good at hacking!_

_Don't forget they stop serving breakfast at 10. If you miss it, I've left £20 on your bedside table for you to go to the café with. But, if you don't miss it… do what you like with it anyway._

_I should be back by 12. If you're not here I'll give you a call._

_D x_

_P.S. Don't get in to any trouble!_

Rose smiled to herself and looked up at the clock. It was 10.30. Sighing, she scooted out of bed and headed towards the bathroom.

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An hour and a half later, Rose was sitting on a bench on Parliament Hill, slowly devouring a cup of coffee. After almost a week of rain, it had finally dissipated over night and now the sun was beaming in the clear sky. Rose shucked off her jacket as the rays spread over her, the warmth relaxing her and clearing her head. The views were amazing here, and that was just one of the reasons why she loved it so much. Taking another sip of coffee, she jumped a little as her mobile sprang to life. She took it out and stared at the screen, seeing the hotel's number blink across it.

"Hello, Doctor."

"_Rose, where are you?"_

"Hampstead Heath."

"_Hampstead Heath? What are you doing all the way over there?"_

"I fancied a walk. I'm on Parliament Hill."

"_Alright, I'll be there in a bit. Don't move."_

Rose smiled. "Do you know how to get here?"

"_Of course I do!" _he paused for a second._ "Erm…"_

Rose giggled slightly. "You want to take the Central Line westbound to Bank, and then change to the Northern Line northbound to Belsize Park.

"_I knew that."_

"Course ya did." She hung up and turned her attention back to her coffee, sighing appreciatively as the hot liquid slid down her throat.

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The London Underground had never been the Doctor's favourite place, and even though it had drastically improved since Rose's timeline, there were still crowds of people rushing about and pushing past each other, and it was with a sense of dread that the Doctor entered Bethnal Green tube station. However, once he had pushed through the ticket barrier he was able to navigate himself quite easily down to the platform. He was happy to see that the train was already waiting when he got down there, and he merrily jumped on and sat himself on the nearest seat. As the train started to move, he listened to the announcement that came over the speakers.

"_This is the Central Line service to Epping. The next station is Mile End. Change here for Hammersmith and City and District line services."_

Oh, crap.

He'd gone eastbound.

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"Blimey, you took you time."

The Doctor shrugged and sat down next to Rose. "Train's were delayed."

Rose looked at him, her eyes sparkling.

"You went the wrong way didn't you."

"No, I…" he started to protest, but gave up when Rose burst out laughing.

"Don't worry," she smiled, linking her arm through his. "You'll get used to it."

"But what does that say about me though?" he frowned. "I've travelled through time and space, but I can't work the underground." He leant back, and Rose swore she saw him pout slightly.

"So, did you get everything sorted?"

"I most certainly did," he said, his usual grin gracing his features as he sat back up. "And, I've also got us a mortgage."

Rose gaped at him. "Already?"

"Oh yes. We now have the means to buy a house up to the amount of £500,000."

"You're kidding?"

"Nope. And we should be able to get somewhere pretty decent with that. London house prices are not as high as they were in your day. Now more people live here than ever before."

"Can we look round here?" Rose asked, getting rather excitable.

"I suppose. I did wonder why you had decided to come for a walk all the way over here."

"Oh, I love it here. Mum and I used to have picnics on Hampstead Heath all the time during the summer. We'd listen to the jazz bands playing and go for a swim in the bathing ponds."

The Doctor put a comforting arm around her as the memory made her happy and sad at the same time.

"Come on then," he said, giving her a quick hug. "Let's go and visit the local estate agents."

Rose beamed at him.

"So," she said as she got up. "What did Danny have to say about all this? He's not going to tell anyone, is he?"

"Nah," he replied, taking her hand as they walked off across the grass. "He was having the time of his life! And if he does, well, I've still got this." He took the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and waved it around, trying to look threatening but failing miserably.

"Yeah," Rose said, humouring him, but she couldn't stop the smirk pulling at her lips.

The Doctor noticed this and looked a bit hurt.

"Oi! What, so now I don't have the TARDIS I'm just an average Joe?"

Rose rubbed his arm and looked at him affectionately. "No. Average is one thing you'll never be."

He smiled the smile he always saved especially for her, and they continued on their way.


	3. Settling In

**A/N: This is more of a transitional chapter, just to get them from the hotel to the house. I didn't really want to write the ins and outs of moving! I don't think it's great, but it sets me up for the next one. Still, if you'd press the button at the bottom anyway, it'd make my day! Thank you for all your lovely comments so far.**

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One month later.

"Ouch! Rose, be careful!"

"Sorry. Ow! Who put that there?!"

"Put what where? Oof!"

"What?"

"Hit my head on a shelf."

"Haven't you found your sonic screwdriver yet?"

"I'm trying, hang on. Umm… Got it!"

_Bang._

"Ow! Ooh, that really hurt! Rose, don't…"

_Crunch._

"Oh my god, what was that?"

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no."

"Please tell me that wasn't…"

"It was. I Dropped it when I walked into the cabinet. Dammit!"

"Great. Now how are we supposed to see inside the fuse box?"

"Oi! Tragedy here! I don't know if I'm going to be able to fix it without the TARDIS. Might never work again."

"Ouch! Hey! That was my foot!"

"Sorry. Was aiming for the cabinet. Stupid thing."

"What are you… don't touch it yet! You'll cut yourself! Wait till we can see before you go picking up sonic splinters."

"You know, you're not being very… Ah ha!"

"Fuse box?"

"Yep."

"Hang on. I'll open the front door. Let some light in."

_Click._

"That any better?"

"A little. Now, if I can just… Ha! Ta da!"

Light flooded the house. Rose shut the door and leant against it heavily.

"Thank Christ for that. What you looking at me like that for?"

"You murdered my screwdriver!"

"Oh, for goodness sake! I didn't mean too."

The Doctor closed the fuse box and walked over to where the sonic screwdriver lay in bits on the floor. He knelt down and extended a finger to give it a little prod.

"Blimey, Rose. How much do you weigh?"

"Sod off! Anyway, from what I can see it's only the casing that's shattered. It's fixable, isn't it?"

The Doctor huffed. "Yeah, but that's not the point." He carefully picked up the remains and carried them into the living room, tenderly laying them on the old wooden coffee table.

"Doctor, don't sulk."

He snorted and crossed his arms. "I'm not sulking."

"You are too."

"Am not."

"Are!"

"Am not!"

Rose stood staring at him defiantly with her hands on her hips.

"Hello! Darlings?!"

The Doctor let out a sigh as a familiar flamboyant figure swept into the living room.

"Hello, Judith." Rose gave her a weary smile.

"Hello, sweetheart. I don't mean to barge in, but I heard rather a lot of commotion coming through the walls."

"Oh, I'm sorry. John was fiddling with some wires and caused a power cut. Did we wake you?" Rose asked, ignoring the scowl on the Doctor's face.

"No, no. I was just tending to my cats. The little darlings require so much attention. I take it you are both still coming to my big opening night tomorrow?"

Rose smiled. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Wonderful. I'll see you then, my angels." And with that she swept out of the room, emerald-green feather boa swishing out behind her as she went, flowery perfume lingering in the air. The Doctor wrinkled his nose and Rose giggled.

"How many times have I told you to lock the door properly?"

"Oh, come on. You love her really."

Actually, they were both rather fond of Judith. She had been a great help since they'd moved in to their three-story terraced house three weeks ago. At first, the Doctor had been a bit disturbed by their effervescent neighbour. Judith was a 54 year old divorcee; colourful, theatrical and completely mad as a hatter. She shared her large house with her adored cats and a very old looking piano, which was like a child to her. She never needed an excuse to tinkle away at the ivories and frequently made her guests join her in singing old show tunes, most of which Rose had never heard off, but was delighted to find that even 2000-odd years later some of her old favourites were still making their mark on the world. Still, she had helped them settle in with ease.

The house was perfect, and Rose had fallen in love with it as soon as she had stepped foot over the threshold. The Doctor hadn't needed much convincing either. The floors in the house were dark wood, the rooms cosy and inviting, and the whole property was littered with period features that Rose hadn't thought would exist anymore, but, apparently, restoration was as easy as pie these days. There was even a small but pretty back garden, complete with fountain, colourful blooms and a blossom tree. She had found out from Judith that her house and theirs had been owned by one family for many, many generations, and they had kept the quaint features as a reminder of its history. Why the family had decided to sell first one, then, many years later, the other, no one knew. But Rose was thankful for it. Her mum had certainly been jealous; well, once she'd got past the hysterical crying and screaming death threats at the Doctor. That had been interesting. In all the upheaval, both Rose and the Doctor, even though they had called each other on it numerous times since becoming stuck in the 43rd century, had forgotten about the fact that her phone would also be able to reach across time and space once more. Calling Jackie to tell her the bad news had certainly been challenging, and there had been a lot of shouting and tears from both her and her daughter. When the Doctor had managed to prise the phone from his young companion's hand, it had taken him almost an hour to calm Jackie down and convince her that he would never stop looking for a way back and would always take care of her baby girl. In the meantime, he had promised they would ring every week.

The Doctor slouched in the sofa and put his hands behind his head, propping his feet up on the antique coffee table; the sonic screwdriver forgotten about for the time being.

"Rose?"

"Yeah?" she half yawned in response, eyeing the clock and noting how late it was.

"Put the kettle on."


	4. Workers

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry I've taken ages to update. I had a friend over from Turkey for 2 weeks and I've been caught up with wedding preparations so haven't had much time recently! Also had a bit of a mental block, so this chapter is probably not up to scratch, although I did intend on each chapter - for now at least - to be snippets in a day in the life of the Doctor and Rose. A storyline will be developing soon, I just wanted - for want of a better word - a bit of normality for a while (as normal as can be in their situation anyway!).**

**As always, please review!**

**xxxx**

2 months later

Rose sighed and leant back into her high-backed office chair, stretching her arms above her head and yawning unceremoniously. Eyeing the clock on the wall she gave an inward gasp of delight. Lunch time was here at last.

"See ya later, Benny!" she said with a sunny smile on her face as she jumped up from her desk, swinging her bag over her shoulder. Benny, her mentor, gave her a dismissive wave as he kept his attention rooted to his book. Rose smirked and pranced off towards the lift.

Life was going well at the moment. She had gotten a job as a trainee in the publicity department of a well known publishing company called Bloomsgate Press, whilst the Doctor was now a professor in the University of London's Physics and Astronomy Department. Which, by chance, was just around the corner from Bloomsgate Press, and which also happened to be the place that Rose was merrily making her way to.

Rose had initially been disappointed when she had seen the campus for the first time. She had been expecting an old stone building with echoing corridors and stuffy professors. Instead, what she got was a high-tech state of the art science centre, all gleaming walls and clinical looking lecture halls. But, to her joy, most of the staff, especially the department's head, were at least a little bit stuffy. In fact, a few of them frowned upon the fact that Rose would happily flounce into the building and more or less bounce up to 'Dr John Smith' before taking the grinning professor by the hand and leading him outside to have lunch on the wall by the fountain in the sunshine. It annoyed them even more when the weather was not particularly favourable and she caused a 'disturbance' in the staff area, giggling conspiratorially with the Doctor as they got a bit too touchy-feely.

Rose flashed her Permanent Visitor Pass – which she wasn't technically supposed to have – at the security guard and hopped onto the escalator which would take her to the first floor. Reaching her destination, she skipped up the corridor and knocked on the staff room door. The door had barely opened before a hand reached through the gap and over-enthusiastically pulled her through. Her bag caught on the door handle and she had to spin in a circle to free herself before coming face to face with the Doctor, who was beaming at her in excitement and waving a piece of paper in her face.

Rose couldn't help but laugh. "What is it?"

"This, my dear Rose, is my very first wage slip. Take a look," he said as he practically shoved her into an oversized chair. Rose let herself flop backwards for a second before sitting bolt upright as she scanned the slip.

"Woah!" she cried out, gaining a few disapproving glances. She lowered her voice and leant forwards to whisper to the Doctor, who was still grinning manically at her.

"Is this for real? That's more than triple what I get!"

"Great, isn't it? Now we won't ever have to worry about not being able to afford things."

Rose smiled kindly. "You mean _you_ won't."

The Doctor shook his head and took her hands in his. "Me man, me hunter-gatherer, you woman, you… oh, wait. Maybe I shouldn't finish that sentence…" he trailed off for a moment. "Besides," he continued, "the mortgage payments and the bills come out of my account. You can spend your money on what you like."

Rose frowned. "That's not exactly fair, is it? I want to pay my way."

"Oh, Rose, don't be stupid. Now come on," he said, pulling her up. "Lunch is on me."

"Ooh, Mario's?"

"Exactly what I was thinking."

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"This has to be the best pizza this side of Lucaya," the Doctor said, taking a huge bite and chewing slowly to savour the taste. Unlike Rose, who was rushing through hers.

"Keep eating like that and you'll give yourself indigestion."

"Hmm," Rose said as she swallowed. "I know, but I'm starving."

"I told you to sit and have breakfast this morning."

"You knew I was running late."

"Not my fault if your hand constantly hits the snooze button."

Rose grinned and downed half her coke. "Anyway, I had a banana when I got to work."

"Yeah, cos that's going to fill you up. You're getting too skinny."

"I am not!" Rose responded incredulously.

"You are! You're losing all your shape."

"My 'shape'?"

The Doctor could tell from her tone that she had taken that comment completely the wrong way, and set about correcting himself before he started to dig a very deep hole.

"You know what I mean." He winced as his imaginary spade threw up a load of dirt.

Rose let the slice of pizza that was hovering by her mouth fall back onto her plate.

"Are you saying I was fat?"

The Doctor's eyes widened in fear. "No! Of course not! I meant curvy, that's all!" Great, he thought, now she's going to think you've been checking her out when she's not been looking.

But, to his amazement, it didn't even click with her. Still, the spade hit the ground again all the same.

"_Fat _Curvy?"

He was getting exasperated now. "Rose!"

"Well?" she demanded, waving her unused fork around threateningly.

"_Slim _curvy. Jesus, I only said you were getting a bit skinny. Now, shut up and eat your pizza."

Rose glared at him for a second before picking the slice back up and nibbling at it.

"Rose, eat it properly."

"Don't want to get fat again, do I?" she muttered under her breath. Then, to her surprise, the Doctor burst out laughing.

"What?!"

"I can't believe you think I thought you were fat! You're a silly ape sometimes."

That made Rose smile, and she started to eat normally again. He hadn't called her that for ages. It surprised her somewhat that she actually missed it.

The Doctor, meanwhile, quietly sighed with relief before smiling affectionately at her.

All was quiet between them, until a rather glamorous girl that was walking past caught Rose's attention, and she turned to the Doctor and said;

"Do you think I should have a boob job?"

His head hit the table.


	5. Attacked

**A/N: Right, just a warning to say that there is a reference to a sexual assualt, but there is nothing graphic. I know I said in my last a/n that they would have a bit of normality for a bit, but this just popped into my head, although it's not the nicest thing. Anyway, future chapters, for a little while, will be all nice again.**

**Ok, now that's out of the way... I know it might sound harsh, but I just wanted to know if my fiance and I were the only ones shouting 'fall!' at the TV when Martha was hanging from the bell tower during last Saturday's episode of Doctor Who? She just bugs me. And it's not just cos I miss Rose (will she be mentioned again?) but because she has a really, really shrill voice. It's ok normally, but when she shouts or gets upset it goes really high-pitched and hurts my ears! And the Doctor is now hugging her way too much.**

**Speaking of David Tennant, did anyone else miss his interview on Parky because the TV listings were wrong? It started 15 mins earlier than it was supposed to! I hope it's repeated. Or does anyone have a link to it or a transcript? Ta very much!**

**xxxx**

Ten weeks later.

_BANG!_

"Rose?" The Doctor was jolted from his relaxed position on the sofa when the front door burst open, followed by a sob, a hurried thumping up the stairs and the slam of Rose's bedroom door. He quickly scrambled up off the sofa, taking the stairs two at a time and hurrying along the hallway to her room.

"Rose?" he called out again gently, softly tapping on her door. Her response came in the form of a muffled cry, and he twisted the knob and opened the door slowly so as to give her time to shout him away if need be. However, she said nothing and he was greeted with the sight of Rose curled up on her bed, clutching at the edge of her duvet and chocking back tears. Within a heartbeat he'd run round the side of the bed and knelt down so he was at her level.

"What happened?" he asked her, gentle but urgent at the same time.

Rose turned her head into her pillow so he couldn't see her face, so the Doctor laid a hand on her back to get her attention. As soon as he did this she jumped violently and twisted away from him. She scooted off the bed and made a dash for the door, but the Doctor had predicted her movements and beaten her to it. He blocked the door and for a moment he thought she was going to try and push him out of the way, but she just stood there, shaking. This was when he finally got to see her face, and he gasped. Down the right side of Rose's face was a cut stretching from just below the outside corner of her eye all the way down her cheek. Blood was dripping from the deepest part at the bottom where it hadn't yet started to clot properly. On the other side of her face bruises were starting to form just above her temple and on her jaw line. His eyes followed a scratch from the centre of the bruise on her jaw right down her neck and over her collar bone. There, it stopped, but what he saw next made his blood boil even more than it already was, and it was all he could do to control the blinding rage building up inside him. Her shirt was torn and smeared with blood and dirt. He dared to lower his gaze and he trembled with anger when he saw the scratches and bruises on her legs. He lifted his head and tried to meet her eyes, but she wouldn't look at him.

"Rose…" His voice caught in his throat.

Tears continued to flow steadily down Rose's face, and she winced as the saltiness of them mixed with the gash on her cheek. She shook heavily as she tried with huge effort to steady her breathing. The Doctor slowly and carefully put a hand to her face. She flinched, the small movement tearing at the Doctor's hearts. He carefully turned her head so that she was facing him, but her eyes still refused to meet his.

"Rose, please," he whispered, desperately.

The tone of his voice made something click inside Rose's head, and she blinked and then slowly looked at him.

"Oh!" she choked out, as if suddenly realising who he was. She flung herself at him and he caught her with care, moving her slowly back towards the bed so they could both sit down.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" she sobbed into his shoulder, gasping through the pain that was radiating through her. "I know you'd never…"

"Shhh," he said, soothingly. "You have absolutely nothing to apologise for, you hear me?" His voice was shaking fiercely as he tried to control his anger. He pulled back slightly and looked at her, blinking his eyes furiously as they started to well.

"Did he…"

"No." Rose said, firmly. "I managed to get away."

The Doctor drew in a deep breath. "Do you know who he was?"

Rose nodded and squeezed her eyes shut to try and dissipate the sudden wave of dizziness that had hit her.

The Doctor took her hands and held them tightly. "Who was he, Rose?"

She tried to choke back her sobs as she spoke, but it was too much effort. "This creep at work. Got it into his head that I liked him. I hardly knew him. The girls told me to keep away from him because he was a jerk." She coughed violently then and struggled to get her breath back. "Ow!" she cried out, clutching a hand to her ribs.

"Will you let me see?" The Doctor asked.

Rose nodded, and he gently moved her hand away and lifted her shirt just high enough to take a look. She jumped slightly and winced as his hand touched her skin.

"Sorry," he said, quietly. He carefully did a quick examination of the area. "Nothing's broken. You've got some bad bruising though." Then, as if someone had flicked a switch, he could keep his fury at bay no longer.

"What's his name?" he demanded, standing up and taking Rose with him.

"Doctor, please don't…"

"His name, Rose. What it is?"

The look in his eyes scared her into submission.

"Mark. Mark Ellis."

"Right. It's time to pay Mark Ellis a visit." He scooped Rose up and carried her down the stairs.

"Doctor, please…"

"Please what?!" he snapped as he put her down, and instantly regretted it. "I'm sorry. But I'm not letting him get away with it. No one does this to someone I… No one does this. No one."

He grabbed a jacket from the coat rack and put it around Rose's shoulders. "I'm going to get Judith to take you to the hospital, and then I'm going to find Mark Ellis and make him wish he'd never been born," he said as he guided her out of the front door and down the path, before turning and going back up again towards Judith's front door. He knocked loudly, holding Rose protectively against him. Seconds later the door swung open and Judith appeared, apron on and covered in flour, her beloved cats mewing round her feet.

"Oh, my goodness!" she exclaimed when she saw Rose. "Darling, what happened to you?"

"Judith," the Doctor said, desperately. "I need you to take Rose to the hospital. I'll be back soon."

"But, where are you going?!" Judith exclaimed as he bundled Rose into her arms. "The poor girl needs you!"

The Doctor, ignoring her, gently took Rose's face in his hands. "I'm going to make him pay for what he did to you. I promise."

Fresh tears started to roll down Rose's cheeks. "You don't have to do this. It's not worth it!" She pleaded frantically between sobs, grabbing onto the lapels of his coat. "What if he hurts you? It'd be all my fault!"

"No! No, you are not to blame for this, you hear me? If anyone's to blame, it's me for getting you stuck here in the first place."

Rose shook her head. "No," she sniffed. "How are you even going to find him?"

"I have my ways." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and then turned and walked hurriedly down the path.

xxxx

"Well, that was easier that I thought it would be," the Doctor quipped sometime later. With the help of his trusty sonic screwdriver, he'd managed to break into the ominous building that housed Bloomsgate Press undetected. Mark Ellis's address had been found relatively quickly on the employee records system, and now the Doctor was charging out of the building at full steam, his eyes glazed in steely determination. Luckily, Ellis's apartment was not too far away, and the Doctor found it quickly and easily. Not bothering to ring the buzzer, he soniced the building's security lock and pushed his way through the door, choosing to throw himself up four flights of stairs rather than wait for the lift. Moments later, he was hammering on Ellis' door. He heard a scuffling from the other side, and then the door swung open.

Ellis didn't even have time to register his visitor. His eyes widened as the Doctor's right hand shot forward and wrapped itself around his neck, pushing him back forcefully into the apartment. The Doctor used his other hand to slam the door shut and continued pushing Ellis backwards until he had him up against the wall.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Ellis choked.

The Doctor put his face right up to him and looked him square in the eyes, his skin flushed red with rage.

"Get some kind of sick kick out of it, do you?" he said, his voice dangerously low.

Ellis just made a strangled, choking sound as he tried to breath.

"Don't know what the word 'no' means?" the Doctor continued. "Think you can just take whatever you want? What the hell makes you think you have that right?!" he yelled.

Ellis tried to speak, and the grip around his neck was loosened just enough so he could do so. However, a smug grin spread across his features.

"Rose get home ok, did she?"

Wrong move. In a split second the Doctor's fist had connected with Ellis's face and sent him crashing to the ground. Ellis tried to kick out, but the Doctor jumped out of the way and his foot smashed into a glass coffee table, sending shards flying dangerously through the air. A piece of it caught the Doctor on the left side of his forehead, a trickle of blood oozing out of it and dripping down his face. He batted at it absentmindedly with the back of his hand and continued his assault on the low-life on the floor. He grabbed Ellis by the scruff of his neck and shook him as he spoke.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now?"

Ellis gave a small laugh. "She was asking for it, flaunting herself around the office. What can I say? She's beautiful and I'm incredibly handsome. We just clicked."

The Doctor yelled out at him and pushed Ellis's head back so it smashed hard against the floor. He smacked him in the face again, catching the side of his nose and causing it to bleed profusely.

Ellis kicked out once more and this time sent the Doctor flying. He went over and grabbed him and the two grappled on the floor for a few seconds before the Doctor gained the upper hand again. Ellis was of a bigger build than the Doctor, but was no match for him in strength.

"If you ever, _ever_, touch my girl again, your life will be over. Do you hear me?!" the Doctor spat in his face. "If you so much as pass her in the street and catch her eye, I will tear you to pieces. Do you understand?"

Ellis coughed, blood pouring out of his mouth from a wound on the inside of his lip.

"Do you understand me?!" the Doctor bellowed at him.

He managed to nod and put a hand out in front of him to signal his surrender. The Doctor stood up and started towards the door. Ellis pulled himself up, his legs wobbling as he tried to balance, a hand clutching at his ribs.

"Shame. I bet she would have been amazing," he muttered.

Big mistake.

The Doctor, with his superior sense of hearing, heard exactly what he said and spun round and lamped him in the face. This time, Ellis was knocked out and he fell into a heap on the floor.

xxxx

"Judith!" the Doctor called out as he ran up the hospital corridor. "How is she?" he asked, putting his hands gently on her shoulders.

"She's fine, my sweet. Don't worry." She paused. "She told me what happened. I hope you gave him what for. She refuses to tell the police."

"I thought she would. I'll have a word with her. He can't be free to do this to anyone else." He went to open the door to Rose's room, but Judith's hand on his arm stopped him.

"She's sleeping. Don't wake her now. It can wait until morning."

The Doctor nodded. "I'll just sit with her, in case she wakes up and needs me."

Judith smiled. "She's so lucky to have a man like you."

"No. I'm lucky to have her," he replied. "Thanks, Judith. You'd better go home and get some sleep."

"Are you sure? I can stay if you want me too."

The Doctor shook his head. "You go. You've done enough for us already."

Judith kissed his cheek. "I'll come round and check on you both tomorrow."

He smiled his thanks and watched for a second as she headed off down the corridor towards the lift. Taking a deep breath, he quietly made his way into Rose's room. He could only just make her out in the dim light, but it was enough to show him her bruises were darkening and that her jaw had swelled up slightly. He sat himself down in the chair next to the head of the bed, sighing softly and rubbing his hands over his face. He looked at Rose, all beaten and fragile, as a single tear tracked its way down his cheek. He wished hard in that moment that he could have his TARDIS back, a safe haven where he could keep Rose locked inside so the world couldn't hurt her anymore. But he knew he couldn't really do that to her. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't keep her wrapped up in cotton wool forever. She'd go insane.

"Hey."

The Doctor was startled out of his reverie by Rose's whisper.

"Hi," he said, scooting closer to her and stroking her hair. "Did I wake you?"

"No." She shifted to get more comfortable. "I'm glad you're back. I was worried about you." She studied his face for a second, putting a hand up to where the blood had dried over the cut on his head. "He hurt you," she said, her eyes welling up.

"Hey, now. None of that. I'm fine."

"I'm sorry," Rose whimpered, letting her tears fall.

The Doctor tenderly wiped them away from her cheeks. "Last time, Rose Tyler. Not your fault."

Rose sniffed and tried to gain control of herself. She reached out and took his hand. "The doctor said I can go home tomorrow."

"That's great. I can spend the whole weekend taking care of you. Actually, I should probably take next week off work too."

"You'll do no such thing. I'll be okay. The amount of security you've put on that house, I'll be perfectly safe."

"That may be. But you're still sick." He rubbed his thumbs over the back of her hands.

"So, are you going to buy me bucket loads of ice-cream that I can lounge on the sofa with whilst watching old films?" Rose asked, giving him a small smile.

"You can have whatever you like." He placed a kiss on one of her hands. "Sleep now."

"Okay," Rose replied, yawning. "Will you stay with me?"

"Wild horses couldn't drag me away."


	6. The Doctor's Epiphany

**A/N: Wow. I've never had so many reviews for one chapter before! Thanks everyone! For all those waiting for a Siori Cyma Lyran update, I promise there will be one up by Sunday night (GMT), unless something goes wrong with the fanfiction site (the amount of times I've had problems with it not letting me upload!) or my modem plays up again and I can't get online. It's been doing that a lot lately!**

**P.S. Found David's interview with Parky on YouTube. Thanks to everyone who helped me out with that!**

**xxxx**

2 weeks later

_**Okay Rose, you can do it.**_

_Can I?_

_**Everything's going to be all right.**_

_Yeah, of course it is_.

_**He's not there anymore. He can't hurt you again.**_

_No, he can't. Can he?_

_**No.**_

After battling with her conscience through her entire journey to work, Rose was now standing at the entrance to Bloomsgate Press and staring through the glass doors like a rabbit caught in the headlights. Luckily, the Doctor had managed to persuade her to go to the police, and, even more luckily, the legal system was a lot quicker these days. After the harrowing experience of having to relive what Ellis had done to do her with a female liaison officer, the police had matched the DNA he'd left on Rose when he'd attacked her straight away, and, unsurprisingly, it wasn't the first time he'd been reported. Now he was locked up, and Rose could start to get on with her new life again.

The Doctor hadn't wanted her to go back to work yet, but she'd insisted she was ready. Her bruises, although still there, had faded enough to be almost completely unnoticeable under make-up, and her ribs were feeling a lot better too. Also, she was getting totally bored with sitting at home. Sure, it was nice being fussed over, especially when it was the Doctor who was doing all the fussing, but she just wanted to get back out there and she told herself that the longer she left it, the worse it would be.

Rose took a deep breath and strode though the entrance, swiping her security key-card over the pad next to the door of the lift. As she waited for it, she could feel people's eyes burning into the back of her. As she turned round, they quickly looked away and pretended they'd never seen her. Finally, the lift opened on the gound floor and she stepped in, grateful to get away from the lobby. The doors were about to ping shut when somebody shouted at her to hold the lift. Rose hit the 'hold' button and the doors bounced open again.

"Thanks," said a young man, slightly out of breath.

Rose gave a faint smile and the doors slid closed. All of a sudden, she felt very hot, and very aware of the fact that she was alone in a lift with a complete stranger. And not just any old stranger, but a male stranger. A male stranger who was probably perfectly nice, and who was blissfully unaware that Rose's skin was starting to flush and that she was beginning to panic. She hoped to God he didn't try to talk to her.

She once again turned to her conscience for help.

_**You'll be fine. He's not going to hurt you. Not all men are monsters. In fact, most of them aren't. Although I know it doesn't seem that way at the moment. But look at the Doctor. He's lovely.**_

_Yes, but he's not human._

_**For the purpose of this demonstration, he is. Otherwise you'll just wind yourself up even more.**_

_Okay, sorry._

Rose took a deep breath.

_There, see? All better._

_**Liar.**_

By the time the lift had stopped on Rose's floor, her head was spinning. And as she stepped out, she was immediately engulfed in a hug by her colleague, Kelly.

"Oh, Rose! We've been so worried about you!"

Rose let herself be squeezed for a moment before pushed herself out of it.

"Sorry," she smiled apologetically. "Ribs are still a bit sore."

"Oh, you poor thing!" Kelly exclaimed. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"She doesn't look it," said a girl called Lottie as she made her way over from the coffee machine.

"Look, I'm fine. Honestly. I just need to get on with things."

Lottie gave Kelly a 'yeah, right,' look and proceeded to escort Rose to her desk.

"You sit yourself down and I'll go and get you a nice cup of tea."

Of course, that was when things started to really go wrong. Rose tried desperately not to think about the fact that she was sitting across from the desk where Ellis had pinned her down. Although it looked different now; computer files were piled on it neatly and someone had put a new plant on it. The chair was also back in its correct position. It was still the scene of the crime though and now Rose, however hard she tried, couldn't stop her brain from giving her terrifying flashbacks. She was also dimly aware that people were whispering about her. Of course, she knew it wasn't anything horrible. They were just concerned. However, Rose's head was starting to spin again and everything was becoming blurred, even the voices. The heat came back, and she couldn't breath. All of a sudden, she leapt up and ran towards the emergency stairs. She whizzed passed Lottie, who was in the process of bringing her promised cup of tea to her, and yanked open the door to the stairwell. The sound of her name being called rang in her ears as she ran breathlessly all the way to bottom, tearing into the lobby and out of the main doors at a speed an Olympic sprinter would envy. She didn't stop until she'd reached the staff door at the university. Gasping for breath, she knocked on it. It was opened straight away by one of the professors.

"Ah, Rose. I'm afraid Dr Smith is in the middle of a lecture."

Rose tried to speak, but her lungs were burning. She looked up at the professor; her eyes glistening with tears.

"Goodness, are you all right?" he asked when he saw her face, ushering her in and sitting her down on an old sofa. "Wait there. I'll go and get John." With that he rushed off.

The two other people in the room merely looked over at Rose with mild curiosity, and she was thankful when they didn't come over to her.

A few minutes later, the Doctor burst into the room and was by her side in an instant.

"Rose?"

"I'm sorry!" she blurted out as she buried her head in his shoulder. "You were right; I wasn't ready."

"Shhh, it's okay. Come on," he said, helping her up and leading her out the door and into an empty lecture room. The Doctor sat down and pulled Rose onto his lap.

"What happened?"

"I… I don't know. One minute I was okay, the next I was waiting for the lift and I just felt everyone staring at me. And when it came it was just me and this other guy in it, and I'm sure he was fine, but…" she choked back a sob. "And then when I sat down I could hear everyone whispering about it and the desk where he… well, it was right in front of me and…"

The Doctor put a finger on her lips to silence her.

"Right, I'm taking you away."

Rose looked up at him through her tears. "What?"

"I'm taking you away. I'll tell the head of department that there's been a family emergency. Where do you want to go?"

"Seriously?"

The Doctor nodded. "A couple of weeks away will do you the world of good. And then when we get back I'll help you look for another job. How does that sound?"

Rose flung her arms around his neck. "Thank you. You're the best."

The Doctor grinned at her. "Did you ever doubt it?"

xxxx

"Oh my God! This place is gorgeous!" Rose exclaimed as they entered the lobby of the Sunshine Paradise Hotel in Male, the biggest island and capital of the Maldives.

The Doctor gave a small laugh as he watched her look around with that very familiar twinkle in her eye. There she was; the old Rose Tyler. He walked up to the desk and summoned the check-in clerk.

"Reservation for Dr John Smith and Miss Rose Tyler."

"Just a moment," the clerk said, tapping away at a screen. "Ah, yes. Rooms 57 & 58. It is right that you wanted rooms with a connecting door, isn't it?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Old fashioned type, are we?"

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "I beg your pardon?"

"You know," the clerk said. "Back hundreds of years ago when couples didn't share a bed until they were married."

"Not that it's any of your business," the Doctor replied, surprised by the clerk's informality, "but she's just a friend."

Rose chose that moment to come bounding over and give the Doctor a kiss on the cheek.

"It's so beautiful here. Hello," she said, smiling at the clerk warmly.

"Afternoon, Miss."

He handed the Doctor their key-cards.

"Just a friend, aye?" he whispered to the Doctor with a wink.

The Doctor glared at him and the clerk had the good grace to look sheepish.

"A hand with your luggage, Sir?"

"No, ta," he said brightly as he picked up his cases and followed Rose over to the lift.

"Floor 8!" the clerk called after him.

"Floor 8, please," the Doctor said as he got in the lift with Rose. The glass door closed and locked itself.

"Glass lift?" Rose enquired. "Very fancy."

"Actually, it's not glass. It's crystal."

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"Yup."

Their rooms, they soon found, were huge. The Doctor had been hanging his things with the closet when he heard Rose squeal and run through the connecting door into his room.

"Have you seen the view?"

"Not yet."

Rose grinned like a child and pressed the button that opened the blinds.

"Wow. Now, that's impressive," the Doctor said as he walked over to the large, floor to ceiling double doors and window and saw powder white sand and a sparkling, aqua-blue sea spread out before them. "It's getting late," he continued. "Shall we order up dinner and eat out on the balcony?"

"Sounds perfect."

An hour later they were lounged out on their sunbeds, a small table between the head of the two that held an almost empty sharing plate of food.

"You know, I've never flown on a plane before. That was my first time," Rose said.

"Really?" the Doctor said, propping himself up on his elbow to look at her.

"Yeah, well, we couldn't afford holidays abroad. The only time I got a taste of foreign soil was on a school trip to France. Until I met you, of course."

The Doctor gave her a soft smile. "And what did you think of the flight?"

Rose chewed her lip in thought, a habit the Doctor found completely endearing. "Well, it's no TARDIS. But, I suppose I could get used to the jet-set lifestyle.

Especially the bump free landings. That was new."

"Oi!"

Rose laughed at the wounded look on his face. Then she stopped and her look turned melancholy. "I'd give all that up in a second if…"

"I know," the Doctor cut in. "Anyway, come on," he said in a tone of voice that instantly lightened the mood. "We are here to cheer you up and soak up the sunshine."

"And shop," Rose offered, picking up her wine glass and clinking it with his.

He nodded. "And shop."

A companionable silence fell between them. After a while, Rose sat up and watched the sun as it set amongst brilliant, jewel like colours. She sighed happily.

"It's so…"

"Romantic," the Doctor chimed in, without even thinking. His eyes widened slightly as Rose turned round to look at him. She smiled softy and he let out an inward sigh of relief.

"Exactly," she said, turning back to look at the blazing sky. After a moment she yawned, arms stretching above her head.

"Think I'm gonna turn in for the night." She got up and went and knelt by the Doctor's head. "Thank you for this. It means a lot."

"You're welcome," he said, a bit hoarsely, her sudden close proximity to his face causing his voice to all but disappear.

However, she didn't seem to notice, and kissed him on the cheek, letting her lips linger for just a tad longer than normal, her warm breath tickling his skin and causing him to shiver slightly.

"Goodnight Doctor."

"Goodnight," he breathed.

She gave him a smile and then walked back inside.

The Doctor briefly wondered if she had been close enough to feel, even hear, his racing hearts. He let out a deep sigh and sat up on the sunbed, running a hand over his face and through his dishevelled mop of brown hair. Since when had he become a quivering fool around her?

And then he realised why.

He was scared. Not scared in the 'Argh! Danger!' sense. Scared in the 'Oh, my God. I think I'm in love,' sense.

But he didn't think. He knew.

When had that happened?

Actually, he knew that too. It had been a long time ago. He'd just been too terrified to ever admit it.

But now it was getting too difficult to ignore it.


	7. Doh!

**A/N: I'm loving writing this at moment. And your reviews have been fab!**

_

* * *

__Don't look, don't look, don't look… _

"Doctor!"

He looked up.

_Damn it!_

The Doctor quickly looked away from the young woman who was jogging towards him up the beach and carried on pretending to read his book.

Rose cast a shadow over him as she stopped by his feet.

"Aren't you coming in? The water's gorgeous."

He hesitated for a moment, his eyes frantically trying to find something else to focus on rather than the dripping-wet, bikini-clad Rose that stood in front of him.

"Um…"

"What? Don't tell me that the great Doctor can't swim," she teased lightly. "I'll teach you if you like."

He started at her incredulously. "Of _course_ I can swim. I just don't have the inclination to."

"The _in-clin-a-tion_?" she repeated, stressing every syllable.

"It means –"

Rose shot him a look. "I know what it means, thanks." She sat down beside him and grabbed a bottle of water. "What's up with you anyway? You've been acting weird all day."

"I thought you said I was always weird."

"This is _weird _weird. Come on, what's wrong?"

The Doctor shrugged at her. "Nothing. I'm absolutely fine. I'm enjoying the sunshine with my best friend and a nice bottle of…" he looked at the label on the bottle next to him and raised his eyebrows. "Pineapple wine."

Rose sighed. "Fine. But if nothing's wrong, as you say, can you just explain one thing to me?"

"What's that?"

"Why is your book upside down?"

xxxx

After trying his best to act less weird for the rest of the day, the Doctor was now gratefully lying on his bed, the quietness calming him. For now, at least. He had spent the night before thinking about and exploring his new found feelings for Rose, and wondering how he could hide them from her. He couldn't tell her. Not yet. After what she'd just been through, he would never be so insensitive as to try anything on with her. No, he would leave that up to her. Depending, of course, on whether she felt the same way.

Did she?

The Doctor pondered this for a second. There had been signs, certainly. But were they big enough to mean anything?

He huffed and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Stupid feelings. Why did they have to make their presence known now? All he wanted to do was give Rose a nice holiday, but instead he was acting like an idiot; jumping every time she touched him and flushing when she caught his eye. The thing was, Rose wasn't blind. And he was sure she'd work it out soon if he didn't hurry up and pull himself together. Unless, of course, she'd worked it out already. That was entirely possible.

_Knock knock!_

The noise startled him, and for some reason he set about trying to sit in a position that made him look less suspicious. Not that he'd been doing anything suspicious in the first place. In the end he just threw his head back on the pillow.

"Yeah?" he called out.

Rose pushed open the connecting door and wandered in, her hair slightly tousled in a way that made her look utterly irresistible.

The Doctor tried not to notice that she hadn't put a robe on over her small silk nightdress. His breath caught in his throat.

"Are you…" he squeaked.He gave a small cough. "Are you okay?"

Rose climbed onto his bed and stretched out next to him, her hand propping her head up so that she could see his face. She nodded.

"I'm fine. Just having trouble sleeping."

He looked at her sympathetically. "Want to talk about it?"

She smiled gently at his concerned face. "Don't worry, it's nothing to do with… well, you know. I just feel… I don't know. Strange, I guess."

"Strange?"

"Yeah, like something's going to happen."

The Doctor took a moment to process this information, before saying; "Good strange or bad strange?"

Rose flicked out her tongue and licked her lips. The Doctor wished she hadn't.

"It's nothing bad," she said.

"So, good strange, then. Any idea what this good strange thing is?"

Rose giggled at his tone. "Not a clue."

He smiled. "Well then, Miss Tyler, we shall have to wait and see what comes our way, won't we?" he said, his eyes sparkling.

She returned the smile. "Indeed."

The Doctor couldn't help it. He couldn't tear his eyes away from hers. And the great thing was, Rose was making no attempt to look away from him either. Should he…

_Hang on, _he suddenly thought. _When did her face get that close to mine? Actually, when did her body get that close to mine?_

Without thinking, he broke eye contact with her and let his eyes trail down her body. The moonlight coming in through the blinds was bouncing off of her legs and he noticed that her nightdress was hitched up a little higher around her thighs than was deemed decent.

"Thank you," she suddenly said, startling him. He quickly brought his eyes back up to her face.

"What for?" he asked, a pretty pink blush creeping annoyingly across his cheeks.

"For looking after me. For bringing me here. For defending my honour."

"I'd do it again in a second," he said, his voice low.

"I know." She gave him a small smile as he brought his hand up to her face to tuck a stand of hair behind her ear. He let it linger on her cheek, their mouths dangerously close.

Then, in a moment of timing that could only have been brought on by Sod's Law itself, the build up was ruined.

_Achoo!_

"Oh, sorry!" Rose said, springing back from him and sitting up, her hand over her mouth and nose. She sneezed again.

The Doctor silently cursed the heavens above and grabbed a tissue from a dispenser on the bedside table. Handing it to her, he couldn't help but smile at the situation.

"That's better," Rose said, balling up the tissue and throwing it in the bin. "I hope I haven't got a cold coming."

"Nah, it's probably just…"

_Oh, crap! She's allergic to me!_

"Just what?" Rose enquired.

"Huh? Oh, I don't know. Too much sun or something."

_Idiot._

"Right," she said, giving him an odd look. "Maybe I should get my head down." She tried her best to hide the disappointment in her voice. There was a pause, as if she was waiting for the Doctor to try and persuade her to stay. But he just sat there looking awkward. Defeated, she got up off the bed. "Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight Rose."

Once she'd gone, the Doctor buried his head in his pillow.

_**You're a fool.**_

_Thanks, but you really didn't need to tell me that._

_**I'm your conscience. It's my job to tell you that.**_

_It's not your job to tell me something I already know._

_**Well, actually…**_

_Get lost._

He got up and walked towards the window, looking out at the brilliant starry night sky. How he longed to be back amongst them.

xxxx

After their missed opportunity, the Doctor and Rose seemed to have the same idea of just concentrating on having a fabulous time for the rest of their holiday, to avoid any awkwardness. Que sera sera, and all that. They went to fancy restaurants, messed about on the beach, went diving and visited the colourful markets and a rather magical looking temple. Rose was sad when the two weeks came to an end, but she knew that she had to move forward and get back to living her life again.

It had been five days since they'd arrived home, and Rose was now throwing herself into looking for a new job.

"You know, you can leave it for a while longer," the Doctor commented one evening when he arrived home from work to find Rose sat at the kitchen table, scouring the National Employment database on her Satellite Data Search system, which was much like a small laptop. She tapped the screen every so often when she found something vaguely interesting, but mostly she just sighed a lot at the lack of suitable work.

"Maybe I'm just being too fussy," she said.

"Well, not really. There's no point doing a job you're going to hate, is there?" The Doctor took a carton of juice from the fridge and then plonked himself down at the table with it. He took the lid off and put the spout to his lips, preparing to take a long swig when Rose caught his eye and gave him a look that only a woman can give.

The Doctor rolled his eyes dramatically, making her smile even though she was obviously trying very not too. He got up again and grabbed a glass from the counter.

"Want one?"

"No thanks, that stuff's gross. Tea would be nice though." She looked at him through wide eyes.

He hated it when she did that, because he couldn't say no. He didn't have many weaknesses, but Rose Tyler was definitely one of them. His biggest one. And boy, did she know it. He went to make her a cup.

"There is one job I've found that I was thinking of applying for. It's not great money though."

"Is it something you'll enjoy?"

"Yes."

The Doctor shrugged. "Then go for it. I've already told you that you don't need to work, so whatever you get is a bonus."

Rose shut down the lid of her SDS system. "Right. I'll go down and see them tomorrow."

"What is this job anyway?"

"Um… I'd prefer to tell you when I know if I've got it or not. Let's just say it's something that I'm pretty sure you didn't know I could do."

"Sounds… interesting," he said, raising his eyebrows at her, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and a smirk on his lips.

Rose shook her head and gave a small laugh. "I can guarantee that it's not any of the things that you're thinking. Now get your mind out of the gutter."

The Doctor tried to look insulted, but gave up after about two seconds.

"A man can dream," he mumbled as he finished making her tea.

"What's that?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing."

Rose gave him that look again.


	8. The Jazz Room

**A/N: My God, this chapter's huge! I just couldn't stop writing! I'd just like to say that I had the idea for this chapter way before I saw Spider-Man 3, and I wasn't going to change it because I loved the idea too much! Thank you greatly for your continuing reviews and wonderful words of support. This will be the last update for a few days now, so enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the songs!**

* * *

1 week later

"Okay, I'm off," Rose said as she popped her head round the living room door, hands fussing with the ponytail she had just tied into her hair.

"Wait!" the Doctor called out before she could escape.

Rose paused and looked at him intently.

"Being your first night and all, do I get to know just what this new job of yours is?"

She smiled. "When I get back. I want to see how tonight goes first." She fussed with her white shirt and black skirt. "Does this look okay?"

The Doctor slowly gave her the once over.

"Doctor!" Rose cried impatiently.

He laughed. "You look great. So, If you're not going to tell me where you're working, how will I know where to pick you up from?"

"You won't. I'll get a taxi."

"At that time of night? On your own?"

"Yes! I'll be fine." She picked up her bag and swung it over her shoulder. "I promise I'll call as soon as I'm on my way back."

"But –"

"I. Will. Be. Fine."

The Doctor sighed in defeat.

Rose had the sudden urge to go over and ruffle up his hair. So, she did.

"Don't worry. I'll see you later," she said, kissing the top of his head.

xxxx

A little after 2am, Rose wearily pushed open the front door and stepped over the threshold.

"I'm home!" she called out, shutting the door and kicking off her heels. When there was no reply she made her way towards the living room, where a faint glow was streaming out into the hallway. Leaning on the doorframe, she peered in only to find the Doctor sound asleep on the sofa, the remote control for the television clinging on to his hand for dear life as his arm dangled over the edge.

Rose couldn't believe it. He was actually sleeping. The one and only time she'd ever seem him sleep was when his regeneration had gone wrong, and that now seemed like a lifetime ago. She crept over to the television and turned it off, plunging the room into near darkness. She then made her way over to the Doctor, crouching down near his head and double checking that he was actually asleep and that his slumber hadn't been caused by poisoning or anything dodgy. He didn't look ill, and she was quickly satisfied that he was fine when she watched his chest rise and fall gently.

Then, without warning, he twitched, making Rose jump, the remote falling out of his hand. He moaned slightly, and flung the arm that had been hanging over the edge of the sofa onto his chest. Then he settled and Rose had to put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud.

_Bless him, _she thought, looking at him tenderly.

Moving carefully, she got up and went to get ready for bed. When she came back down fifteen minutes later to get a glass of water, dressed in comfy pyjamas, her teeth clean and face freshly scrubbed, she couldn't help but check in on the Doctor again. After all, him sleeping was such a novelty, she wanted to memorise it in case it never happened again in her lifetime.

She sat by his head again, watching the soft expression on his face. It was strange seeing him like this. He was hardly ever quiet, always fiddling with something or shouting at the TV, telling Rose stupid jokes or trying to fix things that didn't need fixing, resulting in him usually breaking them and then muttering about what cheap tat they were. She supposed though, after a lifetime of constantly taking the TARDIS apart and putting it back together again, that it was a habit he would never break.

Rose yawned and rubbed her eyes. Time for bed.

As she got up, the Doctor stirred.

"Rose?" he said sleepily.

"Sorry," she said, kneeling back down. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I don't think so. Unless it was you that was tickling me."

Rose chucked softly. " 'fraid not." She brushed his hair back off his forehead and he smiled drowsily at her, taking her hand and giving it a small kiss.

"I'll let you get back to sleep." She made to get up but the Doctor reached out and pulled her back down again.

"No, I'm done," he said, pushing himself up and pulling Rose over to sit next to him.

"How come you were asleep, anyway?"

He shrugged. "Even Time Lords have to sleep at some point. I shouldn't need to do it again for a long while now, although saying that, I have been feeling rather tired lately. Maybe my body's adapting to the domestic, human lifestyle. I might be going to sleep every night now. Imagine that. Me, sleeping every night and waking every morning."

"Hmmm. With any luck you'll also find out how annoying it is to be woken up at the crack of dawn on a Sunday."

"But that's what weekends are for," he protested. "Doing the fun things you don't get to do during the week."

"No. Sunday is a day of rest. God said so. And I for one am not going to argue with him. Now, I'm going up to bed before I pass out."

"You can't. You haven't told me what your job is yet. And, you're in trouble for not phoning me like you said you would."

"Like you would have heard it," Rose said. "When I came in you were dead to the world."

"That's not the point. Now," he said, putting an arm around Rose's shoulders and pulling her against him. "What's your job?"

Rose looked at him uncertainly. "Promise you won't laugh?"

"I promise."

"I'm a waitress."

The Doctor's eyebrows shot up. "A waitress?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. It's just that you mentioned it was something you didn't know if I knew you could do. Anyone can wait tables. But not many enjoy it, and you said it was something you enjoyed."

"Well, I don't just wait tables."

"And so you also do…?"

Rose looked at her hands. "I sing."

The Doctor blinked at pulled back to look at her, his expression one of astonishment. "You do what?"

She looked up at him, her face deadly serious. "I sing."

"You can sing?"

"Yes, well, I haven't done it for a long time. I sort of lost my confidence. But when I saw the advert I thought I'd give it a go. And they liked me enough to hire me, so I can't be that bad. And the audience seemed to enjoy it tonight."

"Well, that's great!" the Doctor exclaimed, beaming at her. "I wish you'd told me."

"Like I said, I lost my confidence for a while."

"So what do you sing?" he asked, his eyes shining.

"They wanted someone who could sing twentieth century jazz. They seem to have a special fondness for it. Jazz, Blues, Swing; they love it"

"Oh, I love all that! This is brilliant!"

"Really?"

"Of course! Are you working tomorrow night?"

"Yes, but –"

"I'll come and see you."

"You really don't have too."

The Doctor looked slightly hurt. "Don't you want me there?"

Rose hugged his arm. "It's not that. It's just that I'll get all nervous if I see you there."

"Aww. Don't be. Tell you what, I'll grab a table at the back and blend in with the crowd."

"You? Blend?"

"Hey, I can blend!"

"All right," she sighed. "But don't put me off."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

xxxx

The next night, looking very dapper in a black suit and red-wine coloured shirt, the Doctor made his way into The Jazz Room and sat at a table at the back, as promised. Rose spotted him almost straight away and made her way over to him.

"Drink, Sir?"

"Hello you," the Doctor smiled. "It's very busy in here tonight."

"Well, it is Friday."

"When are you on?

"Whenever they call me. Do you want a beer?"

"Actually, I'll have a bottle of your finest white wine, please. And two glasses. I take it you are allowed a drink or two?"

"In moderation, yes. Back in a minute." She waltzed off through the tables.

"Is that your girl?" A man asked, leaning over from the next table.

"Pardon?" the Doctor said.

"Rose. Tell you something, the Mrs and I were here last night and she was incredible." He turned to where Rose was standing behind the bar, pulling the cork out of the Doctor's bottle of wine. "Rose!" he shouted. "Give us a song!"

The audience cheered and Rose blushed slightly. She made her way back over to the Doctor and put the wine and glasses down on the table. He was grinning at her.

"Stop it," she said, slightly embarrassed but happy all the same.

A man jumped onto the stage and spoke into the microphone. "Okay, everyone. On a bit earlier than scheduled due to obvious popular demand, please would you welcome to the stage, the beautiful, the vivacious, Miss Rose Tyler!"

The audience whooped again.

"Guess that's my cue," she said to the Doctor.

He winked at her, joining in the applause. "Go get 'em."

Rose made her way onto the stage and positioned herself at the microphone. She smiled at the crowd as the band started up. When she started to sing, the Doctor's jaw dropped.

"_The very thought of you, and I forget to do_

_The little ordinary things that everyone ought to do_

_I'm living in a kind of daydream_

_I'm happy as a king_

_And foolish though it may seem_

_To me that's everything_

_The mere idea of you, the longing here for you_

_You'll never know how slow the moments go till I'm near to you_

_I see your face in every flower_

_Your eyes in stars above_

_It's just the thought of you_

_The very thought of you, my love"_

Rose did a little dance with the announcer whilst the musical interlude was playing. The crowd were loving it.

"_The mere idea of you, the longing here for you_

_You'll never know how slow the moments go till I'm near to you_

_I see your face in every flower_

_Your eyes in stars above_

_It's just the thought of you_

_The very though of you, my love_

_It's just the thought of you_

_The very thought of you, my love"_

She finished to rapturous applause, the Doctor beaming at her with pride.

The band started up again, eager to get her to keep singing. They needn't have worried though. Rose was enjoying herself immensely.

"_Don't mind telling you, in my humble fash_

_That you thrill me through, with a tender pash_

_When you said you cared, 'magine my emoshe_

_I swore then and there, permanent devoshe_

_You made all other men seem blah_

_Just you alone filled me with ahhhhhhhh…_

'_S wonderful, 's marvellous_

_You should care for me_

'_S awful nice, 's paradise_

'_S what I love to see_

_You've made my life so glamorous_

_You can't blame me for feeling amorous_

_Oh 's wonderful, 's marvellous_

_That you should care for me"_

The band played alone then, building up into a crescendo.

_" _'_S magnificque, 's what I seek_

_You should care for me_

'_S elegant, 's what I want_

'_S what I love to see_

_My dear, it's four leaved clover time_

_From now on my heart's working overtime_

'_S exceptional, 's no bagatelle_

_That you should care for…_

_That you should care for…_

_That you should care for me"_

As Rose finished, she brought the house down.

"Thank you ladies and gentleman," the announcer said as he came back to the microphone. Rose took a bow and hopped off the stage.

"Rose will be back later, but for now I give you, Mr George Valentine!"

Rose made her way through the noisy audience and back over to the Doctor. She sat down and poured herself a glass of wine whilst her companion just stared at her in amazement.

"That was fantastic!" he finally said, looking at her with an awe-struck expression.

Rose smiled bashfully. "Thank you."

"I tell you, I could listen to you all day. Honestly I could. I can't believe that voice came out of your mouth!"

Rose was now blushing profusely. "Stop it! You're making me go red."

The Doctor grinned at her. "Dance with me."

"What?"

"Dance with me. I love this song." He stood up and held his hand out to Rose. "Madame."

She giggled. "Sir," she replied, taking his hand.

He led her to the dance floor where couple were swaying along to 'Night and Day.'

"You do realise I'm supposed to be working." Rose said as the Doctor took her in his arms.

"It's just one dance. Besides, you're their star."

"I've only been here two days."

"Doesn't matter."

Rose rested her head against him, pulling him closer as she did so. She neglected to tell him that she'd chosen those songs for him. Feeling like she was floating on a cloud, Rose had the sudden urge to kiss him. But she restrained herself for now. After all, she was at work. So she settled for breathing in his scent and enjoying the gentle caresses his hand was giving her back.

Unbeknownst to her, the Doctor was fighting the exact same internal battle, and all too soon the song finished. Rose pulled away reluctantly.

"I'll see you in a bit," she said, giving him a seductive smile and walking over to the bar.

He sat back down and poured himself some more wine, watching her proudly as she worked and striking up a conversation witht the couple on the table next to his.

At half past one, the customers reluctantly started to make their way home. Rose's boss came up to her and handed her her coat and bag.

"But I haven't even started clearing up yet," she protested, worried that she'd done something wrong and was about to get fired. But her boss, Leon, just smiled at her kindly.

"You were wonderful tonight. And your man's waiting for you. Go on, get on home."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Now shoo before I change my mind."

Rose beamed at him and walked over to the Doctor.

"We're good to go," she said, pulling on her coat.

The Doctor held the door open for her and took her hand once they were on the street. "Walk or taxi?" he asked.

"Walk. It's a nice night." At that point, it started drizzling. They both laughed.

"Can I just tell you again how amazing you were?"

"You may," Rose said, pulling his arm around her for a bit of extra warmth. He happily obliged.

A few minutes later the rain had got progressively worse. They sheltered under the awning of a near-by shop. Rose took out her phone and called for a taxi.

"It'll just be a few minutes," she told the Doctor once she'd hung up. She shivered, and he pulled her into him, wrapping his coat around her. "Thanks," she said, gratefully. She looked up at his face. "Did I tell you how suave you're looking tonight?"

He grinned. "Thank you. New suit."

"Ah, thought so."

There was a short hiatus, after which the Doctor piped up; "I was so proud of you tonight."

Rose was touched, her eyes welling as he looked at her with nothing less than love.

"Well, I've always been proud of you," he continued. "But seeing you up there tonight, having fun. It made me really happy."

"It made me happy that you were there."

He smiled, and suddenly found that his mouth was mere millimetres from Rose's.

"Rose…" he said hoarsely, his mouth suddenly dry.

She rubbed her nose against his affectionately. Her breath was hot on his skin and he trembled underneath it. His hearts were racing and he couldn't think. Which was why he'd opened his mouth and confessed his secret to her before his brain had caught up with him.

"I love you," he whispered.

Rose froze, her heart thumping against her chest, a million butterflies fluttering wildly around her stomach. She looked into his eyes and saw how scared he suddenly was. _Time to fix that, _she thought. Finding her voice, she leant into his ear. "I love you, too." Then she took him by surprise and kissed him.

The Doctor's brain immediately woke up, and before he knew it he had melted into her, his hands making their way up to her face.

Rose moaned against him as he deepened the kiss, his passion for her pouring out of him. When he finally pulled away, she was dazed and breathless.

"Wow…" was all she could get out, grabbing onto the lapels of his coat as her legs threatened to give way.

He kissed her cheek and smiled against her. "Wow's about right." And then he was kissing her again, so engrossed in each other were they that they didn't realise that the taxi had pulled up until the driver called out of the window.

"You two lovebirds call for a taxi?"

They hesitantly pulled apart. The Doctor turned and flashed a smile at the driver.

"Yes, we did."


	9. Sunday Shoppers

**A/N: Your reviews have been great and I'm very happy that you're loving this story! Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

* * *

Three months later

"Morning, beautiful," the Doctor said as Rose stirred beside him. A smile crept onto her face and her eyes fluttered open.

"Morning," she replied sleepily, shuffling further underneath the duvet and yawning dramatically.

The Doctor grinned. "Come on, it's time to get up."

"But it's Sunday," Rose moaned, her voice half muffled by the covers. "What have I told you about Sundays?"

"That Sunday's a fun-day?" He grabbed hold of the duvet and flung it backwards, causing Rose to yelp and grab for it desperately. "Huh, how did that happen?" he wondered in mock amazement as he eyed Rose's state of undress.

"Hmm, I wonder," she replied, pulling him over to her for warmth. "I'm so tired," she mumbled.

The Doctor waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. "Worth it, though."

"You reckon?" Rose teased.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, before launching a tickle attack on her.

"Stop it!" she cried out, trying to breath through her laughter and kick him off at the same time, but she gave up as he straddled her and pinned her down.

"You are so dead," she said, trying to look serious and failing miserably.

"Really? Not much you can do when you're pinned to the bed."

Rose smiled at him seductively. "Oh, I can think of plenty of things," she said.

He grinned at her and swooped down for a kiss. She happily obliged until her phone started ringing. The Doctor moaned and sat back up as she reached for the phone on the bedside table.

"It'll be mum, I can't ignore it." She pressed the answer button and held the phone to her ear. "Hi mum."

"_Hello, darling. How's everything going? You'll never guess what Moe has gone and done…"_

"I might be awhile," Rose whispered to the Doctor.

He rolled his eyes theatrically, making Rose giggle, and headed downstairs to make breakfast, grabbing his dressing gown off the back of the bedroom door as he went.

xxxx

When Rose finally made it downstairs, she found the Doctor sitting at the kitchen table munching his way through a stack of toast. She still couldn't believe how he could eat so much and not put on any weight. It certainly wasn't fair.

"Your mum ok, is she?" the Doctor asked as she grabbed an apple and sat down opposite him.

"Don't get me started," she replied, taking hold of the cup of tea he was pushing towards her. She picked it up and sipped at it gratefully.

"Why, what's she gone and done now?"

"Oh, you know. Mum getting drunk with Moe, Moe managing to sniff out the only two sailors that –"

"It's ok, you can stop there," the Doctor winced, cutting her off.

Rose smiled and pinched a slice of toast off his plate. "I suppose we should go shopping at some point. Cupboards are looking a bit bare."

"Oh, do we have to?" the Doctor grumbled. "I hate Sunday shoppers."

"We do if you don't want us to starve to death."

"All right," he sighed. "But I'm pushing the trolley. Don't want any near-fatal-accidents like last time."

"Hey, that old lady appeared from nowhere!" Rose protested.

He chuckled. "You just keep telling yourself that. I know it was because you were distracted by that Johnny Depp look-alike behind the meat counter."

"I thought it was really him!"

"Yeah, 'cause somehow he'd still be alive in the 51st century." He put his plate and mug in the dishwasher before coming back and planting a soft kiss on Rose's neck. "Shower?" he whispered huskily in her ear, making her shiver. She turned her head and caught his lips with hers by way of reply, giggling and shrieking like a school-girl when he pulled her up off her chair and flung her over his shoulder, fireman style.

xxxx

Two hours later, they were driving round the car park at the local supermarket, trying to find a space.

"I told you buying a car would be pointless. There's never anywhere to park the damn thing!"

"Look, over there!" Rose said, pointing to where a car was pulling out of a space on the next row.

The Doctor swung the car round the corner. "Looks like we're not the only ones who want it," he said, eyeing the competition coming towards him. He put his foot down and pulled into the space seconds before the other driver got there. That earned him a one fingered salute; not that he cared.

"Right then, let's get this over and done with," he said, jumping out of the car and heading towards the trolley bay. Rose skipped up beside him and took hold of his arm.

"It's bloody freezing out here," she complained.

"Yeah, winter's not usually known for its humidity," the Doctor quipped, earning him a smack on the arm. He grinned and kissed the top of Rose's head. "You love me really."

"Unfortunately."

"Oi!"

Rose beamed up at him and he laughed, grabbing a trolley as they reached the supermarket entrance and manoeuvring it expertly through the crowd of Sunday shoppers.

Half an hour later, after leaving the Doctor on his own for a bit whilst she studied a new line of cosmetics that had just come out, Rose returned to find the trolley full to the brim, her other half beaming proudly as he stood by it.

"All done," he said cheerily.

Rose just stared at him in bewilderment. "What on earth have you got in there?"

"Everything we could ever possibly need."

She picked her way through some of the packages, groaning as she saw what they were.

"We don't need four bags of salt. And neither of us eats grapefruit. And what do we need cat litter for?"

"So that cat can go to the toilet," he stated bluntly, as if Rose was mad.

"We don't have a cat."

The Doctor looked confused. "Don't we?"

Rose went up to him and gave him a hug. "Bless you," she said, as if she was talking to a child. "I'm never letting you do the shopping on your own again."

He gave her a crestfallen look. "You mean it all has to go back?"

Rose sighed. "Well, not all of it. But most of it, yes."

"Women," he muttered. "The one species I'll never understand."

"Oh, honey. You're not meant to understand us. You're supposed to just let us get on with it."

Just over an hour later, they were finally loading the shopping into the back of the car.

"Thank God that's over with. I never want to go shopping on a Sunday ever again. Sunday's meant to be a fun-day, remember?" The Doctor closed the boot of the car and walked round to Rose's side to open the door for her, something he would always insist upon. Before he could make a grab for the handle however, Rose pushed him up against it and kissed him passionately, her fingers running through his hair and messing it up.

"I promise I'll make it up to you later," she whispered in his ear.

The Doctor looked at her in a daze, his cheeks flushed.

"Shall I drive?" she asked, plucking the keys from his hands.

"Ye-yeah," he stuttered. "Probably for the best."

Rose winked at him and skipped round to the driver's side.

If he wanted fun, then fun is what he would get.


	10. All I Want For Christmas

**A/N: Warning - Extreme fluff follows. I will not be held responsible for any loss of life due to drowing in cotton wool.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

1 month later

Rose ran down the stairs squealing like a kid who had had too much fizzy drink. She bounced into the living room and onto the sofa where the Doctor was sitting watching the TV.

"Merry Christmas!" she cried, engulfing him in a huge hug.

He looked at her blankly. "Christmas?" he asked casually. "Who told you that?"

"Oh, shut up," she said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "A few more of those and I might let you see what's in the kitchen."

Rose went to jump up but he pulled her back down.

"Uh-uh," he said, shaking his head and pouting his lips.

Rose giggled and kissed him a few more times before he picked her up and carried her into the kitchen. As he set her down she gasped.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed, her eyes settling on the kitchen table, where a Christmas breakfast feast was set out.

The Doctor pulled out a seat for her and proceeded to pour her a glass of Buck's Fizz.

"It's a bit early for alcohol, isn't it?"

"I thought it was traditional to have Buck's Fizz for breakfast?"

Rose eyed her glass warily. "It is, I just don't really feel up to drinking any."

"Ok," he said, taking the glass way from the table, looking slightly perplexed. "Tea?"

Rose smiled. "Tea would be perfect."

A few minutes later he set a steaming mug in front of her and sat down.

"This is great," Rose said, tucking into bacon and eggs, with a mince pie on the side. Well, it was Christmas, she reasoned.

The Doctor grinned at her as he dished up his own breakfast. "Nothing but the best for my Woman."

Rose stared at him in disbelief. "_Woman?_"

"What?" he replied, smiling at her cheekily.

Rose threw a bread roll at him and he laughed.

"Watch it you. I can inflict terrible pain on a man if I have to."

He winked at her.

Rose took a mouthful of food, chewing thoughtfully.

"Honey?" she said when she'd swallowed.

The Doctor looked up at her.

"I…"

"What it is? Did I not cook the sausages properly?"

She shook her head, smiling. "They're fine."

"Oh, good."

When she didn't offer anything else, the Doctor put his cutlery down and sat back in his chair. "Rose?"

"Huh?"

"You were trying to tell me something."

"Oh, it's nothing," she replied casually, mug poised at her lips. She took a large mouthful of tea, trying not to meet the Doctor's eye.

"Well, if you're sure…" he said, doubtfully.

After forcing him to eat his food at the speed of light, Rose dragged the Doctor back into the living room and sat down in front of the tree.

"You're one of those people who likes to rush Christmas, aren't you?" he said, sitting down beside her.

"You're one of those people who keep presents until after dinner, aren't you?"

He grinned and sat down next to her, reaching under the tree and giving her her first present.

She beamed and tore the paper off. "No way! I didn't even know you'd seen me looking at these!" she said.

"Every time we walked past that shoe shop you stared in longingly at the same pair. I had to notice at some point."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said, hugging him tightly.

"Rose, sweetheart, I can't breath!"

"Oops, sorry." She pulled away from him, still smiling.

He chuckled. "Women and shoes. I'll never understand."

"Here," Rose said, handing him a neatly wrapped gift. "I notice things too."

The Doctor unwrapped the present, a little less messily than Rose had. Upon seeing what it was, if he could have squealed in a manly way, he would of.

"I've wanted this for ages!" he exclaimed joyfully, taking a rather sophisticated looking games console out of its box. "I didn't get it because, to be honest, I didn't think you'd let me have it." He gave her a big kiss. "Thank you, Rose."

"You're welcome," she said with a grin.

After they'd exchanged various other presents including items of clothing, jewellery, and the obligatory joke gifts, the Doctor reached into his pocket and handed Rose a small, square object.

Staring at it in delight, she took off the wrapping to reveal a red velvet box. The Doctor watched with anticipation as she smiled and opened it up. As she did, her expression froze, and the Doctor took the box from her hands. He stood up, taking Rose's hand and pulling her up and towards the sofa. She sat down, and when he got down on one knee in front of her, her eyes welled up.

The Doctor took hold of her left hand and kissed it. He then smiled softly at her.

"My beautiful Rose. I can't even begin to describe to you just how much you have changed my life. When I first met you, I wasn't in a great place. And then, by some miracle, this pretty little shop girl from Earth found her way into my heart and rescued me. You saved me from myself, Rose. You were brave and strong and understanding; you still are. I've had some fantastic people travel with me, but there's never been anyone like you. You've amazed me from day one, when you fought Autons with me and flung yourself across a molten plastic monster, swinging on a rope to save the life of someone you'd only just met. Most people would have run away in fright, but you took my hand and jumped in feet first with me; and you've never looked back. You've never given up on me. Even when I sent you home to save your life, you still came back fighting, refusing to leave me. It's that devotion; your bravery, compassion and sheer determination to do the right thing, that made me inevitably fall in love with you. You've made me the happiest man in the universe, and I'll never be able to do enough to thank you for that." His voice cracked then, and he took a moment to compose himself. He stole a look at Rose, finding that her face was wet with tears. She stayed silent, simply looking at him, her cheeks flushed.

"And now," he continued, his eyes glistening, "I can't imagine ever being with anyone else. You complete me. I've spent my whole life running, spinning from one adventure to the next. And yes, I miss that. But as long as I have you I can get through anything." He was shaking now, tears silently tracking their way down his cheeks.

Rose choked back a sob and wiped her eyes with the back of her free hand.

"Rose Marion Tyler," he said, squeezing her hand tight. "Will you marry me?"

Rose laughed with happiness. "Yes!" she cried out, flinging herself at him and kissing him passionately. The Doctor pulled away from her reluctantly after a few seconds, taking the ring out of the box he was holding. He placed it on her finger.

"It's beautiful," she sobbed. "And that diamond is huge!" she said, looking down at the princess cut jewel that was set in a band of purest platinum.

The Doctor chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. Leaning his head against hers, he whispered; "Thank you."

"No," she replied. "Thank _you._ For everything."

"No regrets?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I wouldn't change a second of it. You set me free. You saved me, too." She took a deep breath. "You know earlier, at breakfast, when I wouldn't have that drink and then I tried to tell you something?"

"Yes. What was it?"

"I, um…" she looked him in the eyes. "I'm pregnant."

The Doctor's face went from overjoyed to stunned. His jaw fell open and he gaped at her.

"You're what?"

"I'm pregnant," she said again, looking at him nervously.

Then, without warning, he jumped up, picked her up and spun her round, laughing with delight.

"We're… we're… we're having a baby?"

Rose nodded, her smile a hundred miles wide.

"We're having a baby!" the Doctor whooped, swinging her round again.

Rose hugged him tight.

"How far along are you?" he asked when he'd set her down again.

"About eight weeks."

They sat down and he placed a hand gently on her stomach.

"Eight weeks," he said lovingly.

"I would have told you sooner, only I was scared you were going to freak out."

"Freak out? Rose, this is our baby. _Our _baby. We're getting married and we're going to have a family. I can't think of anything more perfect. A _family_, Rose. Do you know how long it's been since… I mean, I never thought I'd be part of a family ever again." He sniffed and placed a hand on her cheek, stroking it tenderly.

"You've been part of my family ever since you first took my hand and told me to run."

The Doctor gave her a kiss and pulled her into a hug. "My angel."

"Always." She rubbed her hands over her face. "Now, come on. I need your help in the kitchen. The turkey's nearly done."

"Oh, no. You are staying right here and putting your feet up," he insisted.

"I don't need to. And I want to do it."

"But –"

"No buts."

He smiled. "Never mess with a Tyler."

"Exactly."

xxxx

"I can't believe they still show this film this far into the future. And it still makes me cry," Rose sniffed, wiping her face with a tissue as 'It's A Wonderful Life' came to an end.

The Doctor gave her a squeeze and kissed the top of her head.

Rose yawned.

"Bed?"

"No," she said, shaking her head sleepily. "I just want to lie here on the sofa with you. I'm too comfortable to move." She smiled up at him, the light from the fire dancing in her eyes.

"Ok," he said, stroking her hair. "We'll stay here."

And they did, until they both fell asleep, exhausted, but happy.


	11. Pimp My Pram

**A/N: Wow, what great reviews. You guys are the best!**

* * *

12 weeks later

"Rose!"

"GO AWAY!"

"Sweetheart, come on. Let me in."

A rather harsh curse word flew out of Rose's mouth then, making the Doctor wince. She had locked herself in the bathroom and was now crying her eyes out, the Doctor trying to coax her out and failing miserably.

"Rose, please. Look, I'll call Leon and tell him you won't be in tonight."

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" she screamed.

The Doctor sighed. Rose's hormones were all over the place and her mood swings were particularly bad. Apparently, they were supposed to calm down during the second trimester. No such luck here. All Rose had been doing was trying to find a suitable outfit for work, and then she got upset when she found the things she wanted to wear didn't fit anymore and declared that she was fat and horrible and that it was all the Doctor's fault.

"Rose, you're pregnant, not fat. You've got our little girl in there, our tiny baby –"

"TINY?!"

He sighed again. "It won't be forever, and when she's here you'll know it was worth it. When you hold her in your arms and she looks up at you for the first time, nothing else will matter –"

"Ooh!"

"Rose? Rose, what happened?"

"Nothing, it's…" she gasped again.

The Doctor was panicking now. "Rose! Open the door!"

It felt like an eternity waiting for her to turn the lock. When it finally clicked he rushed in, only to find Rose sitting with her back against the wall with her hand on her stomach, smiling. Still crying, but this time for a different reason. He knelt down beside her.

"What is it?"

Rose turned her head to look at him. "She kicked me."

His eyes widened. "What?"

"She kicked me!" Rose cried, beaming. She grabbed the Doctor's hand and put it on her belly. Sure enough, a few seconds later the baby moved again.

The Doctor laughed. "That's…"

"Incredible?"

He nodded.

Rose pulled him into her. "I'm sorry I was such a bitch."

"Doesn't matter," he said, stroking her face. "Wasn't your fault. Come on, let's get off the floor and go and curl up on the sofa." He stood and helped her up. "I'll make you something to eat too."

"Pickled onions."

"Actually, I was going to cook those tuna steaks we have."

Rose looked like she was going to be sick.

"Not liking tuna anymore?" he said, helping her down the stairs.

"Nope."

"And you really want pickled onions?"

"Yep."

Once Rose was settled on the sofa, the Doctor called her boss and told him she wouldn't be at work, then went into the kitchen and grabbed a fork and a jar of onions out of the cupboard. Upon handing them to Rose, she wasted no time in ripping the lid off. Dipping her fork in, she stabbed at an onion and popped it into her mouth. Within seconds her face had turned very pale. She grabbed a tissue from the box on the coffee table and spat it out.

"Don't think I like onions anymore, either."

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God for that, because they stink."

xxxx

"Honey," Rose whispered.

The Doctor made a moaning sound in his sleep and rolled over.

Rose leant over him as best she could and planted little kisses along his jaw line. She tried not to laugh when he smiled in his sleep and squirmed slightly before slowly waking up.

"Doctor…"

"Hmm?"

"You know how much I love you?"

He turned over, eyes still closed but he had a cheeky smile on his face. "Remind me," he said, pulling her into a hug.

Rose giggled. "Not now. I need you to do something for me."

He opened his eyes at that.

"You're not going to make me go to the 24/7, are you?"

Rose pouted. "I really need some ice-cream."

"Oh, Rose. It's…" he leant over to look at the LCD clock. "It's quarter past three."

"Please? It's not just for me. Baby needs it too. In fact, Baby would be very grateful if you got her a tub of Phish-Food. Well, maybe two tubs. And she'll love her Daddy very, very much if he gets it for her, and Mummy will _definitely _make it worth his while…" she kissed him and he sighed.

"Okay, okay." He pushed himself out of bed and flung on his clothes haphazardly. He kissed the tip of Rose's nose and then trudged out of the room.

When he returned twenty minutes later, Rose was fast asleep. He shook his head and smiled, heading to the kitchen to put the ice-cream in the freezer.

xxxx

"You're up uncharacteristically early for a Saturday. You feeling all right?" the Doctor quipped as he entered the kitchen to find Rose sitting at the table sipping a glass of orange juice. He kissed the top of her head and went to pour himself a bowl of cereal.

"I thought we could go out and buy the pram and car seat. And I saw this cute little dress in the window of Babies&Tots the other day."

"What does she need another dress for? You've already bought loads."

"A girl can never have too many dresses. Or shoes, for that matter."

The Doctor sat down at the table with his breakfast.

"Why do I get the feeling that our credit's going to be maxed out by the end of the day?"

Rose shot him a look. "I just want her to have everything I didn't. Is that so bad?"

He reached his arm across the table and took her hand. "Rose, she'll never go without. You know that. You don't have to worry about it."

She smiled. "I know."

The Doctor sat back and picked up his spoon. "By the way, your ice-cream is in the freezer."

She looked at him sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I just got really tired all of a sudden. Forgive me?"

He shrugged. "You did say you were going to make it worth my while…"

Rose smirked at him. "We'll see, Mister."

xxxx

Three hours later and after spending almost two of them traipsing around the huge multi-story Babies&Tots store, the Doctor had finally had enough.

"Rose, please just pick a pram. It's not that hard. Please," he whined, leaning heavily on the trolley he had been pushing. It was full of baby clothes, toys, bottles, dummies and anything else Rose had taken a fancy to; including some rather swish maternity clothes.

"Okay, okay. How about this one?" she said, pointing to the most flashy and expensive one there.

He looked at the price tag and winced. "Seriously? What's wrong with that one," he asked, pointing to the cheaper one next to it.

Rose pulled a face. "It's horrible."

"It's practical."

"So is this one."

Looking at the complicated mechanics of it, he doubted it.

"And," she added, "it comes with loads of extras. Sun shield, changing-bag, music system –"

"Music system?"

She looked at him like he was completely stupid. "So you can play the baby lullabies."

He furrowed his brow. "Here's a thought. Now, call me old fashioned, but why can't we just sing to the baby?"

Rose ignored him. "It also has a bottle warmer, cosy-toes, a bar with little multi-coloured animals for stimulation, an LCD temperature gage to let you know if baby is too hot or cold and a calorie counter and pulse monitor; an incentive to push and power walk at the same time."

The Doctor rubbed his hands over his face and sighed in defeat. "Fine. Get the pimped pram. But you'd better make good use of that calorie counter."

Rose beamed at him and he had to wonder; when did he become such a pushover? Although, he knew it was no good arguing with a pregnant woman. He'd never win.

When they finally left the store, the Doctor threw his hands in the air dramatically. "Daylight! I never thought I'd see you again!"

Rose eyeballed him. "Come on," she said. "Let's get this lot to the car and then we can go and get something to eat."

"That's the best idea you've had all day. I'm dying for a coffee."

Rose gave him a big kiss then, catching him off-guard. "Thank you. I know I've been a pain."

The Doctor smiled warmly at her. "So long as you're happy."

"I am. But I want you to be, too."

He pulled her into a hug. "I have a beautiful fiancée and will soon have a beautiful daughter. I couldn't be happier." He kissed her head.

Rose smiled. It was true that he was bursting with excitement and pride at the prospect of becoming a husband and a father; but he was still hurting from losing the TARDIS. They'd had a conversation a couple of weeks ago about it, and the Doctor, although he admitted it may have taken a lot longer, said he would have professed his love to her eventually and he still would have asked her to marry him, and the pitter-patter of tiny feet around the ship would have been welcomed. This had made her feel a lot better. She never doubted his love for her for a second, but she had been worried that it had come about because of circumstance. He soon blew that idea out of the water when he confessed that he had loved her long before he lost the TARDIS.

She gave him a peck on the cheek. "Let's get out of here."


	12. The Big Day: Part 1

**A/N: Ok, it's the big day! I got the idea for some of Rose's and the Doctor's reactions from that episode of Friends where Rachel goes into labour. I just remember it being quite funny. And just in case you didn't know, all babies are born with blue eyes.**

* * *

21½ weeks later

Rose was half sat, half laid uncomfortably on the sofa. She was ten days overdue and the whole thing was stressing her out. Her belly and boobs were enormous and she couldn't remember the last time she saw her feet. The midwife had just been round and given her some tips to help bring on labour, but if nothing happened in the next few days she would have to go into hospital and be induced. The baby was fine though, and not in any distress. The same couldn't be said for her mother. When the midwife had suggested that she was overdue because she had made such a nice home for the baby, she had to hold back from strangling her. Rose sighed. God, she was hot. She was just about to drag herself into the kitchen to get a drink when the front door opened.

"Honey, I'm home!" the Doctor called out cheerily, walking into the living room and dumping his briefcase on the coffee table.

Rose glared at him. "How can you be so happy when I'm so miserable?"

The Doctor sat himself next to her on the sofa and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"What did the midwife say?"

"That the baby's fine, but I'll have to be induced if nothing happens in the next few days."

"Well, that's not so bad then. Not much longer." He tried to give her a hug but she pushed him away.

"Excuse me? Not much longer? I'm sorry, is forty and a half weeks not long enough? I'm hot, I'm the size of a whale, my breasts are about to explode and all I could do when the midwife was here was think about how long it would take me to suffocate her with my belly!"

The Doctor backed away from her, slightly scared.

"Now, she gave me a whole list of things that could help me go into labour, but we're going to skip most of them and go straight to the most effective one. We're having sex."

"What, right now?"

"No, tomorrow. What do you think?!"

"But, she's fully grown now. It'll be weird!"

Rose leant forward and grabbed the collar of his shirt. "Hey! You started this, so you finish it!"

The Doctor calmly removed her hands from his collar. "Sweetheart, I think we should just wait and see what –"

"Oh, my God! Are you trying to kill me?!"

"Rose –"

"No, fine. Whatever." She folded her arms over her bump and looked away from him.

They sat in silence for a minute, until Rose sniped; "do you have to breath so loudly?"

He sighed.

"Oh, that's right, do it even louder."

"Rose, for goodness sake…"

"_Rose, for goodness sake," _she mimicked.

He sighed again, and bit his lip to stop himself from saying something which might cause even more of an argument. He started absently drumming his fingers on the arm of the sofa.

Rose huffed in annoyance. "Stop it!" she shouted. "Why are you being so annoying?! I swear to God –"

She was cut off when the Doctor unexpectedly kissed her.

"What are you doing?" she asked when he pulled away.

"I'm getting this baby out of you!"

Well, she wasn't going to argue with that. She let him kiss her again and she tugged at his shirt buttons while he pushed up her skirt.

"Oh!" she suddenly cried against his mouth, just as she flung the shirt across the room.

He pulled away from her quickly. "What is it?"

"My water just broke!"

"Wow. I'm good!"

"Doctor!"

"Sorry!" he helped her up and then ran to grab her suitcase from upstairs, where it had been sitting by the bedroom door for the past three weeks. When he came back down, he found her leaning over and gripping the edge of the sofa.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

"It's ok, just breath slowly," he said, rubbing her back gently as her first contraction passed.

Somehow, he managed to get Rose from house to car with a minimum of fuss. The hospital was only five minutes away, but that didn't stop them getting caught up in traffic. Pulling to a halt behind a line of cars, he turned to check on Rose, who was lying across the back seat.

"How are you doing?" he asked gently.

"Okay, I think," she replied, her face bright red.

He reached back and grabbed her hand, which wasn't the best idea because Rose had another contraction at the same time.

"Oh. My. God!" she cried, squeezing his hand tight. She tried to control her breathing, tears slipping down her cheeks. "Why is she trying to kill me?" she panted.

The Doctor looked at her, concerned. "Your contractions shouldn't be that close together yet. I hope this traffic moves soon, otherwise –"

"I am not giving birth in the back seat of a car!"

He thought for a second, coming to a quick decision and swinging the car into the oncoming traffic. There was a lot of furious beeping as he drove over the road and down a side street.

"Where are you going?!"

"Just trying a different route. I think this is the way…"

"You think?!"

"Sweetheart, calm down. We'll get there. I promise."

True to his word, he got there in record-breaking time. He jumped out of the car and ran into the hospital entrance to grab a wheelchair, leaving Rose panting in the back seat.

xxxx

The next half hour was a blur. Rose was taken straight into the delivery room, her contractions now coming about every thirty seconds.

"Ok, honey. You ready to push?" the midwife asked.

Rose, who was exhausted and covered in sweat, gave her a funny look. "I've been ready for ages."

The midwife smiled at her kindly. "Right then, here we go. Nice big push for me."

Rose screamed, the Doctor screaming with her as she gripped his hand so hard he thought she'd broken it.

"God, that hurt."

Rose and the midwife both glared at him.

"Sorry." He leant over and wiped Rose's brow for her, placing a kiss there afterwards. "You're doing great."

"Come on Rose, give me another one," the midwife said.

Rose yelled out again and let go of the Doctor's hand. "We're never having sex ever again. You try anything and I'll kill you!" Fresh tears leaked down her face as she gasped for breath.

The midwife smiled at the Doctor, who was looking rather put out. "It's ok, they all say that."

Rose went to push again. Whimpering, she reached out for her fiancé's hand. "I'm sorry," she cried hysterically. "Please don't leave me!"

"It's all right," he soothed, "I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm scared."

"Don't be. Come on, breath with me. 1, 2, 3…"

"Ahhhhhhh!!!!"

"You've done it!" the midwife cried seconds later, and the next thing they heard was the sound of the baby's cries.

"Congratulations. You have a beautiful baby girl." She laid the infant on Rose's chest.

"Oh, she's so tiny!" Rose sobbed.

The Doctor, who was now crying with her, leant over and stroked the baby's cheek.

"She's gorgeous. Just like her mum."

"I can't believe she's really here. She's…" Rose sobbed again and the Doctor gave her a kiss and put his arm around her.

"I'm so proud of you."

Rose beamed at him. "She's really ours."

"Sorry," the midwife apologised, "I've got to take her to get checked over and weighed."

"Be careful with her," Rose said as she took her away. "She's really tiny."

"Want me to go and call your mum while the nurse sorts you out?"

"Yes, please. We'll have to take a photo on the phone and send it to her. I wish she was here," she said, tears leaking down her face again.

"I know," he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

xxxx

Four hours later, Rose was fast asleep. The Doctor was sat in a chair by her bed, cradling their daughter. She was staring up at him with wide eyes; big, beautiful blue eyes which would eventually turn a deep chocolate colour. Her hair was the lightest blonde; she was the spitting image of Rose.

The Doctor smiled down at her lovingly, and his eyes watered when she grabbed hold of his finger with her tiny hand.

Looking over at Rose, he smiled even wider. He couldn't believe how lucky he was.

This was his family, and he was so proud.


	13. Keeper Of The Stars

**A/N: This is just a short inbetweey chapter. And just to let you know, in case anyone wondered, the baby's name is pronounced car-rer-lena and not ca-rer-lena. Also, I'm not sure of the correct spelling of 'Gallifreyan.' I hope I haven't got it too wrong! Thanks again for all your lovely reviews!**

* * *

One day later

"I still can't decide on a name," Rose sighed as she held her tiny daughter close. "Nothing seems good enough for her. She needs something special."

"I have something," the Doctor said as he stroked the baby's hand.

Rose looked at him hopefully. "What is it?"

"Caralena. She's the Gallifreyan goddess of the stars. The Keeper. But, you know, we don't have too –"

"It's beautiful," Rose cut in. She looked down at her daughter, smiling. "It's perfect."

"Really?" the Doctor asked, a tender smile on his face.

"Really. Our daughter Caralena, keeper of the stars." She paused for a moment, before adding; "Her middle name, I was thinking of Jacqueline, after mum."

"Caralena Jacqueline Tyler." The Doctor let the name roll off of his tongue slowly to see how it sounded. He grinned. "Fantastic."

Rose giggled, then realised what he'd said. "Tyler?"

"Well, she's not going to be Caralena Jacqueline Doctor, is she? That would just be stupid."

"Actually, I thought it would be Smith. You know, after your alter ego. After all, as far as everyone else is concerned, when we're married I'm going to be Mrs Rose Smith. And I quite like that. Mrs Rose Tyler sounds like I've married my dad, and that's just wrong."

The Doctor thought for a moment. "Ok," he said. "Smith it is." He leant into Rose and gave her a kiss, before a knock at the door interrupted them.

"Sorry," said the nurse as she popped her head round the door. "I just need you to sign these forms and then you can go home." She walked into the room and over to Rose, who handed Caralena to her father so that she could sign the papers.

"There you go," Rose said as she scrawled her signature.

"Great," said the nurse. "You're all set. We'll see you in a few weeks time for her jabs. By the way, does she have a name yet?"

"Caralena," the Doctor said proudly.

"How unusual." The nurse smiled. "It is beautiful though. Do you have any questions before you go?"

Rose shook her head. "Nope."

"Ok. Well, you've got the paediatrician's number if anything crops up. Enjoy her. They grow up so fast." She smiled again and left the room.

"Right," the Doctor said. "Home."

xxxx

Later that night, the Doctor woke to find the space next to him empty. Stretching, he got out of bed and pulled on his dressing gown. Walking quietly up the corridor, he peered through the door of his old room, which was now the nursery, and saw Rose sitting next to the baby's cradle, a soft smile on her face as she watched her daughter sleeping.

"Rose," he whispered as he gently pushed open the door.

She looked up at him.

"Come back to bed. When she's sleeping you should be too, otherwise you'll tire yourself out."

"I know. But I just can't stop looking at her. I still can't believe she's really here."

The Doctor sat down next to her and put his arm around her. She leant into him.

"I'm a mum. That's so weird."

The Doctor smiled. "You're going to be a great mum."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Rose kissed his cheek. "And you're going to be a great dad."

He grinned and pulled her closer. Rose yawned.

"Come on. Bed."

"But what if I miss something?"

"Sweetheart, she's sleeping. It's a rare moment to treasure, trust me. Before you know it she'll be screaming the house down."

"But…"

"We've got the monitor. She'll be fine."

Rose sighed in defeat. "Ok." She placed a gentle kiss on Caralena's head and then let the Doctor lead her back to their bedroom. Little did she know that in a few hours time, the Doctor's words would ring very true.

xxxx

"Shhh, honey. It's okay, just go back to sleep," Rose said as she tried to sooth her daughter. However, Caralena was having none of it, and continued to scream.

"Why won't she stop crying? She's been changed and fed. What am I doing wrong?" she asked despairingly as the Doctor walked over to her.

"You're not doing anything wrong. Here, let me try."

Rose handed the baby over to him and she stopped crying almost instantly.

"Oh my God! She hates me!" Rose cried.

"She doesn't hate you. She just wanted a cuddle from her daddy, didn't you my little angel," he cooed to the baby.

"Daddy's girl. Should've known."

"Hey, she loves you just as much. It was just her way of saying 'mummy, I want some attention, but give me to daddy because I know you need to rest.' I might have succumbed to the cycle of sleep, but I still don't need anywhere near as much as you do."

Rose brightened up a bit. "So she doesn't hate me?"

"Of course not. Remember, she is half Gallifreyen. She'll be very tuned into me."

"She's barely two days old."

"Doesn't matter. I'm not just any Gallifreyan, I'm a Time Lord. And she knows it."

"I suppose. All right, but if anything happens come and get me straight away."

"Rose, we'll be fine. Stop worrying. Just get some rest. I have a feeling that very soon we'll be overrun with visitors, and you'll need your strength for that. I know your friends; they'll be here all day."

"Oh, don't say that," she said, rubbing her eyes as she yawned.

The Doctor smiled. "Sorry. But, if it'll cheer you up, think of all the presents they'll bring for you and Cara."

Rose pondered this for a second. "Presents? I can do presents."

"That's my girl."

Rose pouted her lips for a kiss, and the Doctor happily obliged.

"Sweet dreams," he said.

When Rose had gone, he turned his attention to his daughter, placing her gently in her moses basket. "Right then, little one. It's just you and me for a while, so here's the plan. We're going to go downstairs, do some housework, get you bathed and dressed and then make mummy breakfast in bed. How does that sound?"

Cara gurgled at him.

"Excellent."


	14. Rose's Distress

**A/N: Near the end of this chapter, the Doctor makes a comment about wedding favours. My fiance and my friend's fiance said exactly the same thing, which is why I put it in. Men! Also, just as a warning, there is a little bit that initiates sex, but there is nothing graphic. Once again, your reviews have been great. I smile so much when I read one I'm surprised my cheeks haven't split! Sorry for the angst in this chapter, by the way. It had to be done though. Also, I know nothing about classic Who, so if I've got any details wrong about regeneration and Gallifrey, then I apologise!**

* * *

Unusually, for a bride-to-be, Rose had burst into tears after signing for a delivery which contained bits and pieces for her and the Doctor's upcoming wedding. She had been feeling unsettled for a few days now, and that had been the final straw. Now, she was curled up on the sofa and crying into one of the cushions, the boxes in an unopened pile by the coffee table. She jumped as the front door suddenly swung open, a cheerful whistling wafting through into the house.

Rose furiously wiped her eyes and smoothed down her hair. She didn't want to talk to the Doctor about what was bothering her for fear of upsetting him, rather naively thinking that he wouldn't notice her distress if she quickly straightened herself out. She plastered on a false smile and waited for him to walk into the living room.

"You're home early," she called out, rather croakily.

"Yeah, I… what's wrong?" he said, upon entering the room and seeing her red eyes.

"Oh," she said, giving a small laugh. "Pollen count's really high today."

The Doctor just started at her. "Rose, it's November. Now," he said, coming to sit by her before taking both her hands in his. "You and I both know you don't have hayfever, don't we?"

Rose looked at him glumly and the Doctor pulled her into a hug.

"What's the matter, sweetheart? You've haven't been yourself for days."

She mumbled into his shoulder.

"Hmm?" he said, gently lifting her head up so that he could see her face.

"Nothing's wrong."

The Doctor sighed. "Rose Tyler, you are a really bad liar." He watched as her lower lip trembled.

"I can't tell you," she whispered painfully.

"Why not?" he asked gently, reaching up to her face and stroking her cheek with the backs of his fingers. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Because…" she choked. "Because I don't want to hurt you."

The Doctor's eyes widened slightly and a tight knot appeared in his stomach. Did she want to finish with him?

"Rose," he pleaded, trying his best not to sound devastated. "Please, tell me."

"I…I can't. It's not fair on you."

He placed his hands on her shoulders and forced her to look at him. "Rose!" he cried, urgently.

When Rose looked into his eyes, she suddenly realised why he sounded so frightened.

"Oh, no," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I didn't mean to… that's not what's wrong. It's not you. Well, it is; but not in the way you're thinking. I love you. Forever."

"Then what? What have I done?"

"Nothing!" she sobbed. "I'm just… I'm scared for you."

The Doctor looked confused. "Scared for me? Why?"

"Because…" she faltered, really not wanting to continue.

"Because what? Rose, please tell me."

"But I don't want to hurt you," she wailed.

"Rose," he took her face in his hands, watching her as she struggled to gulp back her sobs. When he spoke again, his voice was shaking. "Rose, you're frightening me."

"I'm sorry."

"What is it? Please, sweetheart."

Rose's shoulders shook, and she flung her arms around his neck, pulling him close.

"Ok," she whispered in his ear in defeat, too tired to resist anymore. He wasn't going to let her get out of it.

She pulled back slightly to look at him.

"What… what happens when I'm gone?"

"Gone?" he looked puzzled. "Gone where?"

"No, Doctor. When I get old and die. What happens to you?"

He blinked at her, his eyes damp. "I'll grow old and die with you."

Rose gave him a small smile. "In this body, yes. But then you'll regenerate. And what will happen to you then?"

"I… I…" he stuttered, not knowing what to say.

Rose looked at him sadly. "We never even thought about it, did we? You've been through so much in your life, and what you've lost… Is it fair to spend part of your life with someone who can't regenerate with you? To fall in love, and then be forced to live on for maybe hundreds more years without them? There one minute and gone the next. Because, in terms of how long your life has already been, you and me… well, we're just a blink, aren't we?"

"No, Rose –"

"Please," she interrupted. "Let me get all of this out first."

He nodded dejectedly and let her continue.

"When you still had Gallifrey, you had rules, and one of them was that you couldn't fall in love with someone who wasn't your own kind. And it makes sense, doesn't it? You live for so long; and we don't. To have to go through that… to continually meet people and then lose them over and over again… It's beyond my comprehension, and it takes an extraordinarily amazing person to be able to do that. And you've done it time and time again. But now you've actually fallen in love with one of those people, and one day I will die, whether it be from old age or by accident. And there's nothing you'll be able to do about it. I can't even begin to imagine what that will do to you. The only thing that makes me feel any better about it is that you'll still have Cara. We don't know how long for yet, but you'll have her, hopefully for hundreds of years." She smiled briefly, and then frowned. "But what if you go before I do? Why would you still want me when I'll look so old and you'll be young again? Everyone will think I'm your grandmother."

The Doctor squeezed his eyes shut, tears leaking out of the corners and rolling down his face. Rose could feel her heart breaking.

"We didn't even think. We fell in love and had a child and still we didn't think. We just jumped into living a fairytale and I… I should have realised. But it didn't even occur to me, and now it's too late. One day you'll lose me, and you'll be hurt all over again and it'll…" she trailed off, sniffing furiously as a fresh wave of tears flooded her cheeks. "It'll be all my fault!"

"Oh, Rose," the Doctor choked. "Don't you dare. Don't you dare blame yourself. And you're wrong. I _did _think. I just couldn't resist you. And why should I? Why should I have to? I know what will happen when… when you…" he breathed heavily, blinking away tears so that he could see her properly. "But I don't care, because it will have been worth it; do you hear me? You'll be worth all the pain and I won't resent it for even a second. I'm glad you told me, because it does need to be discussed. There's no point in hiding from it anymore."

Rose buried her face in his neck, sobs wracking her body as she clung to him. He squeezed her tight.

"I will grow old with you, Rose. I promise –"

"Don't! Don't promise that, because you don't know!"

He nodded. "I'm sorry. I will do everything in my power to prevent myself from regenerating before you…" his voice broke and he took a deep breath to steady himself. "And I'm sure I'll be able to. However, if the worst does happen… I'll still love you, no matter what age you are, that I _can_ promise you. If I didn't, that would make everything we ever had worthless, and you will _never_ be worthless to me, do you understand?"

Rose nodded against him and he lifted her face up gently so that he could look at her.

"As for the growing old part, in that respect, I'll never die before you. I can hold on until after you've… well, you know," he said sadly. "And yes, as you said, I'll have Cara, and every time I look at our beautiful daughter I'll always see my beautiful Rose too. I can promise you something else as well. I'll never fall in love again. What I have with you will stay with me for the rest of my days, no matter how long that will be. My hearts are reserved for you and Cara only. I won't ever need anyone else."

Rose took his hands and squeezed them. "Can you promise me one more thing?"

"What is it?"

"Promise me that you and Cara will always have someone you can turn too. If anything happens to one of you after I'm gone, I want to know that whoever is left won't be alone. I couldn't bare that."

"I promise. But you know that Cara won't live for as long as I have, don't you? She's not a Time Lady. She'll only have the standard amount of regenerations for a Gallifreyan. I only got more when I became a Time Lord."

Rose smiled sadly. "I know."

He looked at her, his eyes tracing every inch of her face. "Rose, if Gallifrey was still around, I'd still love you. I wouldn't let a rule tell me who I could and couldn't fall in love with."

"Honestly?"

"Honestly." He rested his forehead against hers. "You're amazing, do you know that?"

Rose shook her head. "Compared to you? No."

The Doctor kissed away her tears. "Yes, you are." He kissed her cheeks before trailing his lips down to her jaw line. "I've just fallen in love with you all over again." He captured her lips with his and she moaned against him before deepening the kiss. After a while he pulled away and turned his attention to her neck. Rose shivered as his breath tickled her skin, and soon they were pulling at each others clothes, their emotionally raw state increasing their desire for each other. Every item was thrown carelessly about the room, getting caught over lamps and knocking things over on shelves. The Doctor pushed Rose backwards so that she was lying on the sofa and kissed her passionately again. They made love desperately, as if scared that one of them was about to disappear. Afterwards, they clung to each other, exhausted.

"I love you," Rose whispered as she caught her breath.

The Doctor smiled at her and dropped a kiss on her lips. "I love you, too."

They lay there in comfortable silence, almost dropping off to sleep before a cry jolted their senses. Rose stretched and sat up with a groan.

"I'll go," the Doctor said, getting up and looking for his clothes. "Boxers?" he asked Rose, who giggled and pointed to the lampshade hanging from the ceiling.

"Huh," he said, trying to act nonchalant. "Wonder how that happened?" He grinned at Rose before retrieving them, and then grabbed his trousers from the top of the bookcase. He pulled them on quickly and ran out of the room and up the stairs. Rose gave a gentle smile as she heard him shout, "It's okay, sweetheart. Daddy's coming," before he turned and ran back down again.

"Bottle!" he called out to Rose as he ran past the living room and into the kitchen. She heard him banging about as he tried to heat the milk up as quickly as possible and then he dashed back past, taking the stairs two at a time as Cara started to scream.

When he came down again twenty minutes later, he gave Rose a weary smile. "She's asleep." He flopped down next to her on the sofa and they snuggled up together.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. Thank you." She studied his face. "You?"

"I am, but not as much as I will be in precisely one month, two weeks and three days when on Christmas Day I can finally call you my wife and myself your husband."

Rose sighed happily. "I can't wait."

"What's in those boxes?" the Doctor asked, only just noticing them piled next to the coffee table.

"Oh!" Rose cried. "Wedding stuff!" She reached over and placed one of the boxes on top of the coffee table before ripping into it. She squealed happily as she examined the contents. "This one's got the wedding favours in!"

"Wedding favours?" the Doctor enquired, leaning forward and examining the contents of the box.

"Yeah, to give to the guests. Little chocolates and stuff."

"Let me get this straight," he mused. "We're paying for the wedding, right down to the food they will be eating and the drink they will be no doubt getting very drunk on, and then they also get little chocolate hearts for attending?" he said, picking up a bag of them. "Wedding favours? We're entertaining them for an entire day. Shouldn't they be doing us a favour?"

Rose giggled at the look on his face. "It's tradition."

The Doctor shook his head and pointed to another box. "What's in that one?" He went to grab it but Rose pulled it away from him. "Why can't I open it?" He protested.

"Because I ordered something that I don't want you to see and I'm not sure what box it's in."

"Oh. And what would that be?"

Rose gave him a wink before leaning over and whispering seductively in his ear; "Your wedding favour."

He grinned.


	15. The Stranger In The Cafe

**A/N: Sorry, at the start of the last chapter it was supposed to say 'three months later,' and I didn't realise that I had accidently erased that part until I'd posted it. Still, nevermind, you know now! Thanks for the fab reviews, as ever, and please read my plea for help at the bottom of the page!**

* * *

Two Weeks Later

"Wow, Leon. The place looks great!" Rose exclaimed as she stepped into The Jazz Room early one cold afternoon. It had had a complete overhaul and was now open during the daytime as a café, a place where people could chat away with their friends to a backdrop of soothing jazz melodies.

"But of course," he said, flashing her a winning smile and waltzing over to give her a kiss on the cheek. "And how's my favourite little angel?" he cooed, bending down to where Cara was sitting in her pram and giving her cheek a gentle squeeze.

Rose smiled. "She's as good as gold now, but you should have heard her this morning. She screamed for almost an hour when daddy went to work, didn't you sweetie?" she said, looking at her daughter fondly.

"Daddy's girl."

"Most definitely."

"Come on, take a seat and I'll make you some tea."

"Ooh, thanks." Rose sat down in one of the comfortable chairs and took Cara out of her pram. Balancing her on her knee, she reached over to the bottle warmer on the pram and grabbed her milk. Cara gurgled away happily, chewing on her fingers before reaching up and putting her wet hand on her mother's face. "Eurgh," she said, putting on a silly face and making Cara giggle. "Thanks for that, little monkey." Rose pulled the top off the bottle and began to feed her daughter, who gulped it down eagerly.

"Blimey, Rose. People will think you never feed her!" one of the waitresses said with a small laugh, setting a steaming mug of tea down on the table for her.

"Tell me about it. How are you Angie?"

"Great," she replied, flopping down next to her. "You?"

"Oh, you know, busy. I can't believe I'm getting married in a few weeks. It's all happening so fast."

Angie grinned. "Hey, if I was marrying that gorgeous man of yours, I'd be willing the time to pass as quickly as possible!"

Rose laughed. "I meant it in the sense that there's still so much to do. Of course I can't wait to marry him," she sighed happily. "Mrs Doctor John Smith."

"Lucky cow," Angie said with a smile.

"You're still coming right?"

"Are you kidding? Leon's closing up for the whole day so we can all be there. You're like a daughter to him. He told us; 'this day is very important and I won't have anyone missing it.' It's gonna be great."

Rose smiled. "He's been very good to us. I just wish I could do something to repay him." She pondered for a second, and then drew in a sharp breath as an idea came to her. "I know! I'll ask him to give me away!"

"Oh, Rose! He'll be thrilled!"

"Hey!" the man in question said, leaning over the bar and staring at Angie. "Those tables aren't going to clear themselves, missy."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm doing it." She rolled her eyes as she got up and walked off, making Rose laugh.

Cara fussed then and pushed her bottle away.

"Had enough?" Rose said, putting her face up to Cara's and kissing the tip of her nose. Cara gave a gummy smile as her mother took the bottle away and placed it on the table, grabbing the teething ring she offered seconds later and shoving it in her mouth to chew on it vigorously.

"Ah, teething. I remember that. Long time ago now, of course."

Rose jumped as the middle-aged man on the table next to hers leant over to talk to her.

He chuckled. "Sorry, my dear. Didn't mean to startle you."

"That's alright," she said, smiling at him. "She's only just started, and thankfully it doesn't seem to be causing her too much pain yet. She's been quite good actually."

"Yes, she certainly seems content. Rose, was it?" he said, extending a hand.

"How did you…?"

"I overheard your friend. Sorry, I wasn't intentionally being nosy."

"Doesn't matter. Yes, I'm Rose and this is Cara."

He gave her a toothy grin. "A beautiful name for a beautiful little girl."

"Thanks. It's actually short for Caralena. Her father chose it. Apparently in his… religion, it means 'keeper of the stars.'"

"How lovely," he said, giving her another big smile, which Rose couldn't help but return. "So, you're getting married soon? To a doctor, no less."

Rose raised her eyebrows.

"Sorry. Again," he said, having the good grace to look sheepish.

Rose gave a soft laugh. It was weird, but she found him quite easy to talk to. He had a quality to him; a kindness in his eyes and in his voice which immediately put her at ease.

"We're getting married on Christmas Day, and I can't wait," she beamed.

"I'm sure it will be wonderful. From what I can tell so far, he's a very lucky man."

"That's very kind of you, but I consider myself even luckier."

"And how's that?"

"He…" Rose broke off, trying to think what to say without giving anything about their past away. "He saved me from a life of repetitive boredom, showed me I was worth something. We went travelling for a while, and then eventually decided to settle here. He showed me so many marvellous things," she smiled at the memories.

"Sounds fantastic. Why did you stop?"

Rose sighed as she thought. "One day we just decided that it was time to put down roots somewhere, to plan for the future. It was hard, but we got love and a gorgeous daughter from it."

"So, you weren't in love when you were travelling?"

Rose let out a small sound of amusement. "I was in love with him, and he was in love with me, only neither of us realised it at the time. We just kept our feelings hidden. And then, one day, it all changed. Street corner at 2am waiting for a taxi." She knew she had a dreamy look on her face when her new friend gave her a warm look, a knowing twinkle in his eyes. Rose blushed at her giddiness.

"Don't worry, my dear. Love is nothing to be bashful about." He paused for a moment. "Your fiancé; what hospital does he work in?"

"Oh, no," she laughed. "He's not that kind of doctor. He's a doctor of physics and astronomy. He works at the University of London."

"Really? How fascinating. I know that place well."

"Oh, so you might know him then? His name's John Smith."

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not. It's been rather a long time since I was last there." A faraway look crept over his face, but only for a second. "And yourself?" he continued. "What were you doing before your daughter came along?"

"Actually, I work here. Singing waitress."

"You sing?"

"Uh-huh. I'm still on maternity leave at the moment; going back after the honeymoon. Not full time. Just an evening or two and a couple of dayshifts." Rose shook her head and smiled widely. "I'm sorry, I've told you all about me but I know nothing about you. What do you …" she trailed off, a sudden ringing interrupting the conversation. "Excuse me," she said, pulling her phone out of her bag. "Hello?

"_Rose, where are you? It's gone 1.30."_

"What?!" she exclaimed, looking at her watch. "I'm sorry, honey. I'll be as quick as I can."

"_Okay. Love you."_

Rose smiled. "Love you too." She clicked off the phone and dropped it back in her bag. "Sorry," she said to her tea drinking companion. "I'm supposed to be meeting John for lunch. I didn't realise it had gotten so late." She placed Cara carefully in her pram and pulled on her coat. "It was nice talking to you. Maybe I'll see you again sometime?"

"I'm sure you will. I'll have to come and hear you sing," he said, extending a hand to her.

As soon as she took it, Rose felt an odd sensation course through her.

"Something wrong?"

Rose looked up at him and blinked slowly. She shook her head and gave a small smile. "Just a bit of a head rush, is all. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

Rose let go of his hand, and the odd feeling vanished almost immediately. "I'm sure. Take care," she said, as she began to guide the pram through the maze of tables.

"You too." He gave her a friendly nod.

"You're off?" Leon asked as she walked over to the counter.

"I'm afraid so. I'm late for my lunch date."

"Ah, well you'd better get a move on then," he said, giving her a hug.

"I'll call you later. I've got something I want to ask you." She looked around. "Where's Angie gone?"

A mildly fed-up look crossed Leon's features. "Out back on the phone to Carlos."

"Carlos? I thought he –"

"Don't ask."

xxxx

"So, did this elusive stranger have a name?"

The Doctor and Rose were sitting at a little table in the corner of the university's canteen, nibbling, unsurprisingly, on chips.

"I never found out what it was."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at this. "You told him all about yourself and yet you didn't even get his name?"

"Well, I…"

"Rose, you have to be a bit more careful. He could have been anyone."

"I know, I know. But it's not like I told him everything. And he seemed trustworthy and-"

"Sweetheart," the Doctor interrupted. "How many times have we been let down by people we thought we could trust?"

Rose sighed in frustration. "He just had something different. Something in his eyes."

Silence passed between them for a minute or so, until the Doctor decided to lighten things up.

"Tell me something. Was he better looking than me?" he grinned, making Rose laugh.

"No! He looked about the same age as my mum!"

The Doctor furrowed his brow. "So… what does that make me then? If you thought he was old…"

Rose grinned. "Touché. But anyway, you look young."

"And if I didn't?"

"I'd still love you."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "So if I looked really old, you'd still fancy me?"

"Honey…"

An award winning smile suddenly broke out on his face. "I'm only teasing," he said, placing a kiss on her forehead. A snuffling noise caught his attention and he looked down to see Cara stirring from her nap. "Hello, princess," he said lovingly, gently lifting her out for a cuddle. He looked back to Rose. "How's her teething?"

"Not too bad at the moment. She's a tough girl."

"I'm not surprised, considering who her mother is. I'm just dreading the day I find out whether she's inherited your mother's slap." He winked at her as she playfully slapped his arm. He chuckled and, holding Cara securely with one arm, wrapped the other around Rose's waist, pulling her close.

"I'm so glad it's the end of term this week," Rose sighed happily. "It'll be nice to have you home during the day. The amount of washing that's piling up-" she giggled and squirmed as he tightened his hold on her waist and tickled her.

"Cheeky mare," the Doctor said, ceasing his torture of her as people began to stare.

Rose grinned and he kissed the tip of her nose. "Just you wait until I get home."

"Yeah?" she challenged.

He gave her a look, his eyes clouding with desire, and she felt her insides turn to jelly.

"Yeah."

* * *

**Right, I have an idea for a story I want to write after I finish this one and Siori, but I need your help big time as I need information on classic Who, and I know diddly-squat. So, if anyone can give me any info about...**

**1: The forth Doctor and his personality, and his attitude towards his comapnions**

**2: The fifth Doctor and the same as above**

**3: Gallifrey and the Doctor's role there. Things like the culture, what Gallifreyans wore, what they were like, families, customs; basically, anything about life on that planet.**

**4: The Doctor's family history**

**5: Gallifrey's timeline. When the Doctor met Rose, had he gone back in time after the war or forwards? It's probably obvious, but I'm stupid!**

**6: How TARDIS's were 'grown'**

**7: Time Lord training**

**8: Regeneration. Do Time Lord regenerations differ to those of normal Gallifreyans?**

**9: The jobs that normal Gallifreyans did**

**10: Anything else you can think of!**

**Feel free to email me about it if you don't want to leave stuff on the reviews page.**

**Thanks guys!**


	16. The Big Day: Part 2

**A/N: Firstly, I'd like to apologise for taking so long with this next chapter - I had a bit of a block! Secondly, my own wedding is coming up in just over 2 weeks, so just to warn you, I might not be able to update this story or Siori until after I get back from my honeymoon - everything's mental at the moment! Thirdly, a huge thank you to everyone who helped me out with my query. It's been a great help and it was very kind of you all to take the time. That story will hopefully be starting sometime at the end of August/early Sept depending on how busy I am because I'm also going to university in Cardiff as a mature student, so I've got all the hassle of moving as well! Fourthly - and finally - I'm really sorry about this chapter; really I am. I know how a lot of you hate cliffies!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Rose hummed sleepily, a soft smile on her face as she snuggled further under her duvet. The last whispers of a dream she had been enjoying floated away, and she blinked open her eyes slowly, yawning as she clutched her pillow closer. She stayed like that happily for a few moments, letting her eyes drift shut again, enjoying the peace and quite of the early morning, the smell of bacon wafting in through the gap under the bedroom door and the laughter coming from her friends as they…

Rose's eyes snapped open and she scrambled to sit up, legs getting caught up in the duvet as she tried to stand before toppling onto the floor. She quickly untangled herself, jumping up and grabbing her dressing gown, shoving it on as she ran out the room and down the stairs. Bursting into the kitchen, her friends jumped at the sudden explosion of energy as she cried; "I'm getting married today!"

Lauren and Kelly looked at each other and smiled. Then they both jumped up and started leaping about with Rose, grabbing each others hands and giggling like teenagers.

"And it's Christmas day!" Rose squealed. "Merry Christmas!"

Suddenly, there was a cry from upstairs.

"I'll go," said Lauren. "You sit down and have your breakfast."

As she skipped out of the room, Rose sat down at the kitchen table and watched as Kelly dished her up a breakfast of bacon and scrambled eggs on toast.

"There you go," she said, pushing a plate in front of her. "Eat up. You'll need the energy to get through the day – and for later," she said, giving Rose a cheeky wink.

Rose laughed. "Oh, yes. Most definitely." She picked up her fork and started to tuck into her breakfast.

"Look who it is!" Lauren said in a sing-song voice as she re-entered the kitchen, Cara gurgling happily in her arms.

"Oh, come here angel," Rose said, holding her arms out for her daughter, a big smile on her face.

Lauren sat down. "Right," she said. "The hairdresser will be here in an hour, we've checked the horse and carriage will be here on time, the flowers are being delivered at ten and…" she tapped a finger to her lips. "Nope, that's it for now."

Rose sighed happily, her eyes watering as she thought about the Doctor and how she couldn't wait to be his wife.

"That's it, get it out the way now," Kelly said. "You don't want to ruin your make-up later on."

"I just can't wait," she smiled. "And thank you; both of you. You've been great."

They all got a bit soppy then and crushed themselves into a group hug, being careful not to squash Cara as she bounced up and down on Rose's knee.

Rose really was very grateful to them. She couldn't have done it without them. When she'd rung up her old workmates and told them she was getting married, they had instantly been by her side, meticulously constructing and planning the big day. When Rose had asked them both to be her bridesmaids, they'd been ecstatic.

Just then the doorbell rang. Kelly went off to answer it, coming back in clasping a velvet box.

"John's best man's a bit of alright, isn't he?" she said, handing the box to Rose. "He said it was a present from your beloved," she continued, indicating to the box Rose was now starting to open.

Rose gasped. Inside lay a beautiful diamond necklace and a note which read;

_My Rose,_

_I saw this the other day and thought it would be perfect for you to wear on our wedding day – a beautiful necklace for my beautiful bride._

_Can't wait to be forever yours._

_Lots of love, the Doctor xxxx_

"Oh, Rose. It's gorgeous!" Lauren exclaimed.

Kelly whistled. "I saw that necklace in the window of Tiffany's last week. When I looked at the price tag I nearly fainted. You're a very lucky cow," she grinned.

Rose took the necklace out of the box and held it up to the light. It sparkled magnificently. She sighed happily.

Today was going to be perfect.

xxxx

"The car's here!" the Doctor heard his best man call through his hotel room door.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror again and fiddled nervously with the ruche around his neck.

"John?" his best man said, poking his head round the door.

"Ready," the Doctor replied firmly, giving himself one last glance. He certainly did look handsome in his black morning suit, ivory waistcoat and ruby-red ruche, although the shoes weren't quite as cosy as his trainers. He smiled softly at the memory of Rose telling him that on no uncertain terms was he to wear his converses with his wedding suit, before turning around and grinning at his friend, James.

James worked in the Doctor's department at the university, and being roughly the same age (looks wise anyway), they got on tremendously. James had joined the university a week or so after the Doctor had and they had decided to stick together, often earning themselves disapproving glances from some of the other older members of staff as they laughed and joked around.

James put his hand solemnly on the Doctor's shoulder. "This is it. This is the day it all ends. God speed Dr John Smith."

The Doctor laughed and followed him out the door. He certainly didn't think that this would be the day it all ended for him. On the contrary, he felt as if his life was only just beginning, and he couldn't wait to see Rose walking down the aisle towards him. He was nervous, yes – but in a completely good way.

xxxx

"Rose! Leon's here and so is the carriage!" Kelly called up the stairs.

"Just a second!" Lauren called back.

Rose breathed deeply as Lauren finished lacing her into her dress.

"There you go," Lauren said, taking a step back and looking at Rose, her eyes brimming. "You look so beautiful."

It was true; her dress was exquisite, the bodice part covered in tiny beads that sparkled as they caught the light. The cut of the gown was just enough to make her look like a princess without being a meringue, the detail around the hem of the skirt matching the detail on the bodice. A veil sat on top of Rose's loosely curled hair behind a simple but stunning tiara, and came down to where her fingertips ended.

"Oh, don't start. You'll get me going!" Rose said, giving her a hug.

Lauren picked up Rose's train and helped her get down the stairs and into the living room without tripping up.

Leon, who was sitting on the sofa and jiggling Cara up and down on his knees, took one look at Rose in her beautiful ivory gown and beamed proudly.

"Stunning," he said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"Thank you," Rose smiled.

"Okay," Kelly said, handing Rose her bouquet of, funnily enough, red roses. "Ready?"

Rose picked up Cara with her free arm and grinned as she looked at Leon in his suit and her two bridesmaids in their ruby-red dresses, clutching their white roses excitedly. She picked up her cloak and with Leon's help, wrapped it round her shoulders to protect herself from the chill outside.

"Let's go have ourselves a wedding!"

xxxx

The Doctor rocked back and forth on his heels as he waited at the alter. The vicar smiled at him kindly, giving his arm a comforting pat as he walked past on his way to talk to the organist.

The church was nearly full, a testament to how many friends the Doctor and Rose had made in such a short space of time. The Doctor smiled as he saw Zack, Danny and Ida in one of the middle rows before spotting Judith in the front row. He winked at her as she gave him a wave before twisting round and engaging herself in conversation with one of the Doctor's work colleagues in the pew behind.

"Not long now, mate," James said, coming up next to him and slapping a hand on his shoulder. "How you doing?"

"Ask me after the service," he grinned at him.

One of the ushers, most of whom had been recruited from The Jazz Room, jogged off outside to see if the bridal party was coming up the road.

xxxx

"This is just like being in a fairytale," Kelly exclaimed as the horse and carriage pulled up in front of the church.

Leon jumped down first, helping the girls down carefully one by one.

"Hi Gary," Rose said, leaning in to kiss the usher that had come to greet them.

"Wow, Rose. You look amazing. Actually, do you mind running off with me instead?"

Rose smiled and hit his arm playfully. "Now what would Lizzie say about that?"

He grinned. "She can come too."

The horse and carriage pulled off to park a little further up the road, making Cara, who was nestled safely in her mother's arms, reach out in front of her and whimper slightly.

"It's okay, honey," Rose said, kissing her daughter on the head. "The horses will be back later." She smoothed down Cara's little ivory dress and made sure her matching coat was wrapped round her tight enough so she wouldn't get cold. She then handed her to Lauren, who was shivering and pulling her stole tighter around her arms.

"Ooh, she's all warm," Lauren said, taking Cara and cuddling her.

Rose laughed. "She's not a hot water bottle!"

"I'll go and let them know you're coming in," Gary said, heading off back inside the church.

Lauren and Kelly went to follow, glad to finally be getting out of the cold December air.

Rose took Leon's arm and he beamed at her. They had only walked a few paces away from the kerb when Rose stopped and bent down to fiddle with her shoe. It took Leon a few seconds to notice she had let go.

"Anyone would think you were stalling for time," he teased.

Rose re-tied the ribbon on her shoe, straightening quickly when she heard Leon and the girls yelling her name. She looked up just in time to see a speeding car mount the pavement. Opening her mouth to scream, there was no time as the car ploughed into her, sending her flying up into the air. She landed with a thud in the middle of the road. The car sped off, and the last thing Rose heard before her eyes closed was the sound of Leon and her bridesmaids screaming hysterically.

xxxx

The Doctor saw Gary give the thumbs up from the other end of the church and smiled widely. Any second now his beautiful bride would be walking towards him. Looking towards the doors, he held his breath as he waited for her to show. Expecting the next sound he heard to be the organ starting up, he jumped along with the rest of the congregation when he heard the sound of tires screeching outside, followed by a sickening crunch and the sound of smashing glass. Instantly feeling sick, he ran up the aisle as fast as he could, James, the vicar and a large handful of guests following after him.

_No, no, no, _he told himself over and over again as he raced out the door. Once outside, he looked towards the road and reeled in shock.

"ROSE!" he screamed, springing forward and trying to stop the bile from rising in his throat as he saw her, a brief thought of gratefulness entering his mind as he saw that Lauren was protectively shielding Cara from the scene in front of her.

"Rose!" he croaked, flinging himself down beside her head. Her face was covered in blood, her arms cut and grazed.

"What happened?" he whispered, fighting to stay calm, although he couldn't control it for very long. "WHO DID THIS!"

"The car came out of nowhere," Kelly sobbed as Leon put an arm around her. "She'd only stopped to tie her shoe!"

The Doctor stroked Rose's bloodied hair away from her face, tears welling in his eyes. He vaguely heard James say that the ambulance was on its way as he put an ear to her mouth.

His eyes widened in fright. "No," he rasped, sitting back and desperately trying to feel for a pulse. "No!" he yelled out, tears pouring down his cheeks. He pressed his hands over her chest and started CPR.

"Come on, Rose," he pleaded, going from her chest to her mouth and back again. "Breathe. Please, breathe!" He blew into her mouth and listened, his shoulders heaving as he heard nothing. His hands flew to her chest again. "Rose," he sobbed frantically. "Rose, come on!" He carried on for a few more minutes before Leon put an arm around him and gently tried to pull him away.

"No!" he cried, pulling out of his grip.

"John," Leon said, his broken voice barely a whisper. James knelt down next to him and took hold of the Doctor's bloodied hands, pulling them gently away from Rose's chest. The Doctor fought to resist, struggling to get back to Rose until the enormity of the situation finally hit him, and he collapsed against James, sobbing relentlessly, his hearts broken.

In the distance sirens could be heard racing their way towards them. The Doctor pulled away from James and stroked a hand over Rose's cheek before burying his face in her neck.

"Please, come back," he begged painfully, his face awash with the flood pouring from his eyes. "I love you. I need you. Cara needs you. Please, please don't leave me. Don't leave us."

"Oh, dear God. I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry."

The Doctor, frowning at the familiarity of that voice, pulled his tearstained face away from Rose and came face to face with two very familiar men. He gaped, the grief twisted on his features mixing with an expression that made him look like he'd just seen a ghost. Two of them, in fact.

"We tried to get here as fast as we could to warn you…" the other man trailed off, shock evident in his voice.

The Doctor glared at them. "Go away," he said, his voice low and dangerous.

The first man opened his mouth again. "But –"

"GO AWAY!" he screamed, making them jump, the anger ripping out of him so ferociously that he could easily be heard over the wail of the sirens as the ambulance pulled up beside them. He bent down and put his mouth next to Rose's ear just as the paramedics raced over.

His voice shaking, he made Rose a deadly promise. "I'll find them. Whoever did this to you, I'll find them. And then I'll kill them."


	17. On The Brink

**A/N: I'm sorry I've taken so long to update this. What with the wedding, honeymoon and then getting bitten by plot bunnies for other stories, I've been a bit rubbish with it. I'm also sorry for the fact that this chapter is so short and a bit crappy. We're moving at the weekend and I'm really busy packing, but I had to give you guys something, if only so you know how Rose is doing! The next chapter will definitely be longer, and I promise I'll try not to leave it so long before I update again, but it might be a couple of weeks before I can update any of my stories as I have to set up the internet at our new place and I don't know how long that will take, especially as we're switching to wireless. **

**Anyway, enough rambling! On with the story...**

**xxxx**

The Doctor sat with his chin in his hands, staring straight ahead. The steady beep of machinery was the only noise to break through the silent devastation in the room, and he let out a long sigh as his eyes never left the figure on the bed in front of him. The figure which had tubes and wires poking out of its skin.

The figure which was his Rose.

The Doctor absently wiped at a tear that had escaped down his pale cheek. In the space of a few hours he looked as if he had aged about twenty years, his eyes sunken and skin sallow. A knock at the door disturbed him from his reverie, and he looked up to see Judith gently opening the door, Cara fast asleep in her arms.

"How did it go?" she asked, quietly closing the door behind her.

The Doctor focused his watery eyes away from her and back to Rose. "They managed to stop the internal bleeding, but we'll have to wait until she wakes up to see just how bad the head injury is. She's got some swelling on the brain and because it took so long to resuscitate her, she..." he choked then, trying desperately to swallow back a sob. Judith pulled up a chair next to him, cradling Cara in one arm and placing a hand on his.

"She'll be okay. She's strong; a fighter."

"Yeah," he whispered, rubbing his hands over his face.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, until the sound of the door opening made them both look up. The Doctor stood and strode over to the door, trying to push out the two men who were coming through it. However, in his weakened state he failed miserably and in the end all he could do was glare at them.

"I thought I told you to go away," he said, his voice low and threatening.

"Doctor..." the younger man started, but was silenced by the dangerous look the Doctor was giving him.

"Get out."

"But -"

"Get out!"

There was a cry from where Judith was sitting, and the Doctor turned to see Cara stirring from her sleep.

"Look," said the older man. "You need our help. This could all be over a lot quicker if you just let us treat her back at the Ta -"

"Don't."

"John," Judith said as she stood, calming the baby in her arms by jiggling her gently up and down. "What's going on?"

"I don't know how you found me, but you can't be here. Now, I won't tell you again. Get. Out."

The older man shook his head and sighed. "If you change your mind, we're on the corner of Belmont Street."

"I won't."

"Don't be a fool. Why put Rose through all of this when the TARDIS can -"

"Out, now," the Doctor demanded, cutting the younger man off. He took Cara from Judith's arms and practically shoved them all towards the door. "All Rose needs right now is her family. All of you, just go."

"But, John..." Judith started to protest as she was backed out of the door.

"I'm sorry, Judith," the Doctor croaked, tears lining his face again.

"Doctor -"

"Fine! You want to help? Find the bastard that did this and kill him for me," he replied angrily, shutting the door in the older man's face. Cara protested at the loud band as it slammed shut, crying out in distress.

"Oh, I'm sorry little one, I'm so sorry. Shhh, daddy didn't mean to scare you," he soothed as he sat back in the chair at the head of Rose's bed. However, Cara didn't stop and soon her father was joining her, letting out sobs of despair as he hugged Cara tightly and stroked Rose's hair.

"Fight, Rose. You have to get better. I need... we need you. You can't die. Please, don't die. I can't live without you, not now. Not after everything we've... Please, Rose."


End file.
